Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care Quotes

“there is currently no legislative mandate requiring foster parents to participate in post-service or ongoing training that specifically addresses the developmental needs of infants and children in their care (Gamache, Mirabell, & Avery, 2006).”
― Mary Allison Brown, Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: Brain Development, Attachment Theory, and the Critical Importance of Early Experiences for Infants and Toddlers in Out of Home Placement

“Presently, there are two foster parent training programs that are used and widely accepted as the gold standard.  The trainings are the Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting Group Preparation and Selection of Foster and Adoptive Families (MAPP) and Foster Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE).  “Both include a wide focus on the knowledge and skills necessary to work within the child welfare system and emphasize core values of foster care.  Both have been criticized for their relatively substantial attention to procedures and policies and relatively brief attention to issues involved in effectively meeting the needs of troubled youth (particularly their scant focus on managing difficult behaviors)” (Dorsey, et al., 2008 p.).”
― Mary Allison Brown, Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: Brain Development, Attachment Theory, and the Critical Importance of Early Experiences for Infants and Toddlers in Out of Home Placement

“there is little empirical data on the effectiveness of foster parent training programs” (Dorsey, et al., 2008, p. 1405).  There is no evidence that training for foster parents impacts the type or quality of care that they provide to children in their home.”
― Mary Allison Brown, Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: Brain Development, Attachment Theory, and the Critical Importance of Early Experiences for Infants and Toddlers in Out of Home Placement

“Infants placed with kinship caregivers have fewer placement changes and fewer mental health problems than those placed with non-relative caregivers (Cole, 2006).  However, infants placed both with kinship caregivers and foster parents need support to develop the secure attachment style that will help to maximize their developmental outcomes (Cole, 2006).”
― Mary Allison Brown, Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: Brain Development, Attachment Theory, and the Critical Importance of Early Experiences for Infants and Toddlers in Out of Home Placement

“Infants and toddlers are the most vulnerable cohort of children in the child welfare system.  Infants and toddlers enter foster care at a rate that is three times the rate of older children, remain in foster care 22% longer than older children, and are significantly less likely to be reunited with their families than older children (Kemp & Bodonyi, 2000).  One study found that the median length of stay for children who entered the foster care system as infants under the age of one year was approximately 48 months (Kempy & Bodonyi, 2000).”
― Mary Allison Brown, Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: Brain Development, Attachment Theory, and the Critical Importance of Early Experiences for Infants and Toddlers in Out of Home Placement

“At the time of birth, a child’s brain weighs approximately 400 grams and is the only organ that is not yet fully developed (Scientific Learning Corporation, 1999).  By the age of three, the brain has grown to approximately 1100 grams, or approximately 80 percent of its adult size (Scientific Learning Corporation, 1999).  During the time between birth and age three, a child’s brain develops more connections and acquires more knowledge than at any other period in life.  According to Bruce Perry, “the human brain develops to approximately 85 percent of its adult size in the first three years of life and puts in place the majority of systems and structures for all future emotional, behavioral, social, and physiological functioning” (2009).  In addition, research shows that brain growth is cumulative; that is, future growth is dependent on the establishment of a healthy foundation during the early stages of development (Gamache, Mirabell, & Avery, 2006).”
― Mary Allison Brown, Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: Brain Development, Attachment Theory, and the Critical Importance of Early Experiences for Infants and Toddlers in Out of Home Placement

“Research on brain development illustrates that babies are born with the biological expectation to be a part of a mutually beneficial relationship and that positive relationships are the single most important factor in healthy development.  According to Woodcock-Ross, Hooper, Stenhouse, & Sheaff (2009), “the interactional quality of early relationship experiences has a biological impact on the rapidly developing brain, alongside effects upon psychological health and social functioning” (p. 1009).  In fact, early relationships create the foundation upon which all other learning can occur.  “Each achievement – language and learning, social development, the emergence of self-regulation – occurs in the context of close relationships with others” (National Academy of Science, 2000).   Due to the importance of early relationships for optimal brain development, relational risk factors for infants in the form of unmet emotional needs or negative caregiving experiences places them at an increased risk for mental health problems (Fish & Chapman, 2004).  This risk is mitigated within the context of caring, nurturing relationships with adult caregivers.”
― Mary Allison Brown, Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: Brain Development, Attachment Theory, and the Critical Importance of Early Experiences for Infants and Toddlers in Out of Home Placement