Policy Resource

New York's Infant Toddler Child Care Credential

Feb 9, 2016

The New York State Infant Toddler Child Care Credential is designed to formally recognize those practitioners who display a specialized knowledge of infant and toddler development, the partnership of caregivers with the families of the children in their care, and professional practice based on respect for the individual, the system and themselves.

This credential incorporates the New York State Core Body of Knowledge, New York State childcare regulations, and the Code of Ethics of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Competence is assessed for the following topics areas: Infant and Toddler Development; Environment and Curriculum; Family and Culture; and Assessment and Evaluation.

The New York State Association for the Education of Young Children (NYSAEYC) is the credentialing agency for both the Infant Toddler Care and Education Credential and the Children’s Program Administrator Credential.

Each candidate must have 12 credits in college coursework. The 12 credits should reflect Infant and Toddler Development, Family and Culture, Environment and Curriculum, and Assessment and Evaluation. Three of the credits must have been earned within the last 5 years of the candidate’s application. In addition to coursework, experience of some kind must be garnered, such as one year of caring for infants and toddlers in a licensed facility, two semesters of supervised field work with infants and toddlers with six months of work in a licensed facility, or 480 hours of documented experience as a floater or substitute.

Reviewed May 2018.