Primary Care: Six Essential Program Practices

High-quality relationship-based care is central to optimal early brain development, emotional regulation, and learning (Center on the Developing Child, 2012). One of the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) six essential program practices to promote this type of care is primary care (PITC, n.d.). Consistent, responsive, and meaningful interactions with a primary caregiver build a child’s attachment with a familiar adult (Raikes & Edwards, 2009). Primary caregiving also strengthens relationships with the families of the children in the primary care group, which, in turn, supports the development of trust and security between the infant or toddler and the primary care provider (Lally, Torres, & Phelps, 2010)