National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers

Research consistently shows that the most rapid period of brain development is in the first years of life, when a baby’s brain forms more than a million new neural connections every second. This cognitive, social, and emotional growth is critical for later success in school and the workplace. Despite this crucial time in a child’s development, each year an estimated three million children across the US risk arriving at Kindergarten without the cognitive, social, and emotional skills they need to learn and be successful throughout school and in life.

The National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers (NCIT) is a specialized effort designed to ensure that young children are developmentally on track for school by age three.

We work directly with 10 of our Early Childhood Learning and Innovation Network for Communities (EC-LINC) members on prenatal- to-three topics, equipping them with the tools they need to focus on maternal and child health, family support, and early care and education. Participants are developing resources to strengthen early childhood systems and are sharing best practices with other cities, counties, and states within EC-LINC and beyond. In addition, they are working to drive policies and make the case for public and private investment in core services for infants and toddlers.