In 1985, the California Department of Education (CDE) initiated an effort to address the unique needs of infants and toddlers in child care by entering into a collaboration with WestEd. From its inception, the program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) has been a collaborative effort of the California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division (CDE/ELCD), and WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies (CCFS). At that time, Janet Poole, CDE/ELCD, and J. Ronald Lally, WestEd, gathered together a team of child and family researchers, child care experts, and media specialists to begin the development of a multimedia training system for infant/toddler group care providers.
PITC has grown to become the major provider in California in the creation, distribution, and delivery of infant/toddler care materials (video and print) an training/professional learning (institutes, graduate events, conferences, outreach, and community-based training of care teachers). It has a Regional Support Network (RSN) of PITC Certified Infant/Toddler Specialists who conduct training and coaching throughout California and nationwide. PITC has provided professional development institutes in 20 states as well as for Early Head Start.