Child care for infants with special needs: Issues and applications

The demand for quality child care For infants with special needs is increas ing, and parents and professionals are confronted with questions about the quality of care, the type of care arrangement that is most appropriate st d ifferent ages, and the effects of child care on child development These que stions are addressed using recent research results from a current ecologica l study of early child care for children with special needs. Results sugges t the need to increase support for in-home care for infants with special ne eds, to examine the impact of current back-to-work and family leave regulat ions on infants with special needs in low income families, and to develop m odels of service delivery for infants that support early development across appropriate contexts, including the family, early intervention, and child care environments.