The environments we create and the experiences we provide for young children and their families affect not just the developing brain and early learning, but also many other physiological systems and lifelong health. How do all these systems work together to respond to chronic stress? What do these responses mean for early learning and lifelong health? And what can we do to stop early adversity and stressors from leading to long-term consequences?
Derived from the science in our most recent working paper, the newest episode of The Brain Architects podcast addresses all of these questions by explaining how early childhood development and lifelong health are intertwined.
Science tells us that responsive relationships help buffer us against the effects of ongoing stress, act as a core building block for resilience, and help us navigate life's ups and downs. But how do we maintain and promote responsive relationships during the coronavirus pandemic?
In the Spring and Fall of 2020, we hosted a series of conversations with members of our Frontiers of Innovation community. Through these conversations, members shared their stories of innovation and resilience as they sought to maintain services for families during the pandemic.
This resource is a compilation of the ideas and wisdom that experts from the field shared during those conversations to help others navigate remote interactions.
"Child development does not stop in a crisis. The foundations of lifelong learning, health, and behavior are being laid now, in the narrow window that begins prenatally and continues particularly through ages two and three. These foundations will be as strong—or as weak—as the environment of relationships and experiences that young children find themselves in during this time. Waiting for the pandemic to be over to get back to work simply is not in the cards. Now is our time to do things differently."
In a new blog post for Capita, Hannah Barber, Project Manager at the Center on the Developing Child, challenges us to be innovative and adaptive to solve pressing problems in the early childhood development field.
As a keynote speaker at the 2020 Pediatric Brain Health Summit—a part of the Texas Brain Health Initiative—Center Director Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. presented on "Leveraging the Science of Adversity and Resilience to Generate Greater Impacts on 'Whole Child' Development."
The Center on the Developing Child is bringing together a new generation of leaders who will drive innovation that impacts the early childhood field and the lives of children facing adversity. The Science and Innovation Fellowship is open to advanced Harvard University doctoral students whose research aligns with the Center's mission. Browse the Center's Science section to explore topics of interest relevant to our mission. Students from all Harvard schools are eligible to apply. The application for the 2021-2022 academic year is available now. Applications are due by Friday, January 15, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. E.S.T.
"Child development does not stop in a crisis. The foundations of lifelong learning, health, and behavior are being laid now, in the narrow window that begins prenatally and continues particularly through ages two and three. These foundations will be as strong—or as weak—as the environment of relationships and experiences that young children find themselves in during this time. Waiting for the pandemic to be over to get back to work simply is not in the cards. Now is our time to do things differently."
