Step 1: Why Is Early Childhood Important?

Brain Hero

The Science of ECD (Video)

The Science of ECD (Text)

Step 2: How Does Early Child Development Happen?

3 Core Concepts in Early Development

8 Things to Remember about Child Development

InBrief: The Science of Resilience

Step 3: What Can We Do to Support Child Development?

https://youtu.be/cqO7YoMsccU

https://youtu.be/s31HdBeBgg4

https://youtu.be/6NehuwDA45Q

Experiences Build Brain Architecture

The basic architecture of the brain is constructed through a process that begins early in life and
continues into adulthood. Simpler circuits come first and more complex brain circuits build on
them later. Genes provide the basic blueprint, but experiences influence how or whether genes
are expressed. Together, they shape the quality of brain architecture and establish either a
sturdy or a fragile foundation for all of the learning, health, and behavior that follow. Plasticity, or
the ability for the brain to reorganize and adapt, is greatest in the first years of life and
decreases with age.

https://youtu.be/VNNsN9IJkws

Serve and Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry

https://youtu.be/m_5u8-QSh6A

One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is
“serve and return” interaction between children and significant adults in their lives. Young
children naturally reach out for interaction through babbling, facial expressions, and gestures,
and adults respond with the same kind of vocalizing and gesturing back at them. This back-and-
forth process is fundamental to the wiring of the brain, especially in the earliest years.

Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development

Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of healthy development. While
moderate, short-lived stress responses in the body can promote growth, toxic stress is the
strong, unrelieved activation of the body’s stress management system in the absence of
protective adult support. Without caring adults to buffer children, the unrelenting stress caused
by extreme poverty, neglect, abuse, or severe maternal depression can weaken the architecture
of the developing brain, with long-term consequences for learning, behavior, and both physical
and mental health.

The science of child development and the core capabilities of adults point to a set of “design principles”
that policymakers and practitioners in many different sectors can use to improve outcomes for children
and families. That is, to be maximally effective, policies and services should: 1. Support responsive
relationships for children and adults. 2. Strengthen core life skills. 3. Reduce sources of stress in the lives
of children and families