The nation has taken note of the importance of supporting early brain and emotional development and the important role of developmental experiences for infants and toddlers. This has spurred interest in understanding the developmental trajectories of young children involved with Child Welfare Services.
- Infants and toddlers are especially vulnerable to maltreatment, with children three years of age or younger being the most frequent victims. In addition, 81% of the fatalities due to child maltreatment were among children 3 years of age or younger.
- Amendment of the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA, 2003) "requires referral of a child under the age of 3 who is involved in a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect to early intervention services funded under Part C" (section 106(b)(2)(A) (xxi))
- The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA, 2004), Early Identification and Child Find requires Part C providers or their designee to screen referred infants and toddlers to determine eligibility. Eligibility requirements for Part C are determined by individual states
