Early experiences matter. The quality of the early care and education provided to young children not only impacts their experiences now, but directly contributes to their future success in school and in life. High-quality early learning experiences require effective educators but attainment and application of these critical knowledge and skills is difficult. Attainment and application of critical knowledge and skills can improve educator effectiveness. "ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators"™ (Dean, LeMoine, & Mayoral, 2015) details essential skills educators need to create exceptional early learning experiences. This brief provides an overview of the "ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators"™ in five sections: (1) Critical Competencies' Focus; (2) Critical Competencies' Foundation; (3) Relationship to Other Relevant Criteria; (4) Organization and Content Examples; and (5) Using the Critical Competencies.