“There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into
babies,” proclaimed Winston Churchill in a 1943 radio broadcast
(James, 1974, p. 8507). More than 60 years later and an ocean away,
“putting milk into babies,” both literally and figuratively, is an increasingly
prominent goal of U.S. mental health practitioners, communitybased
service providers, and policymakers (e.g., National Research
Council and Institute of Medicine, 2000). The current extraordinary
focus on early child development is in large part a response to an explosion
of recent research illustrating the importance of children’s earliest
years for their later development (see National Research Council and
Institute of Medicine, 2000, for a review). This research highlights the
importance of children’s early development and particularly the importance
of children’s relationships with their first caregivers. Supportive
early child–caregiver relationships pave the way for children’s subsequent
development, especially in terms of their social skills and mental
health. At the opposite end of the spectrum, early childhood abuse
results in acute physical injuries and exacts far-reaching costs in victims’
mental illness and the continued perpetration of violence. Moreover, the
earlier in children’s lives that maltreatment occurs, the more likely it is to
recur, and the greater the physical, psychological, and social costs. The
traumatic effects of children’s exposure to interpersonal violence are also
an increasing concern.