In April 2015, the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies released a report, entitled “Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation,” asking the question: How can the science of children’s health, learning and development inform how the workforce supports children from birth through age 8?
The report highlighted a number of key messages, chief among them was the notion that the “adults who provide care and education of children birth
through age 8 bear a great responsibility for their health, development and learning.” The report authors also pointed out, however, that current systems and services are fragmented, and practices and policies have not kept pace with what the early care and education community deems vital to effectively provide for birth-to-8 children.