Improving Joint Attention
Joint attention refers to the shared focus that conversational partners — an infant and her caregiver — have on an object and topic. Infants and young children whose parents engage in more joint attention have larger vocabularies than children whose parents engage in less joint attention. High-quality child care environments, where caregivers practice joint attention and are responsive to the cues of infants and toddlers, have been shown to be tied to higher rates of language acquisition. 
Secure Attachment and Continuity of Care
Attachment — the security, confidence and trust that infants and toddlers have with the adults responsible for their care — is the framework within where babies develop their growing ability to regulate emotions and behavior. Babies thrive when they are securely attached to their mother, father or primary caregiver who knows and responds consistently and reliably to their unique personalities. Infants and toddlers who are not securely attached are likely to become preschoolers unable to control their behaviors and kindergartners who have difficulty engaging in the process of learning. Attentive early childhood programs minimize this problem by keeping infants and toddlers with the same classroom team of teachers until they transition to preschool.
