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Brain Development

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. The following resources include a sample of national and State organizations (listed in alphabetical order) with an interest in sharing information on brain development and brain development research in order to promote healthy growth among young children; additional publications that describe the research about brain development and the implications for parenting and programming; and publications that describe how information about brain development can be used to create policies about early care and education.

National and State Organizations

  • BrainNet
    World Wide Web: http://www.del.wa.gov/Education/ChildDevelopment.shtml

    BrainNet is an initiative of the Washington State Department of Early Learning and is a strategic alliance of public and private partners that promote healthy optimal brain development through training, public awareness, and education to multiple target audiences throughout the State.
  • Better Brains for Babies (BBB) Initiative
    World Wide Web:http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/bbb/

    BBB is a collaboration of State, local, public, and private organizations dedicated to promoting awareness and education about the importance of early brain development in the healthy growth and development of infants and young children in Georgia. BBB shares research on brain development and information on fact sheets, resources, and additional Web sites through the What You Need to Know and the What Information is Available links on their Web site.

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
     800-424-2460 or 202-232-8777
    World Wide Web:http://naeyc.org

    NAEYC is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to improving the quality of care and education provided to our nation’s young children. NAEYC has over 100,000 members, teachers, administrators, parents, policy-makers, and others committed to bringing high-quality early education and care to all young children. In addition to the bimonthly journal Young Children, NAEYC publishes an extensive array of books, brochures, videotapes, and posters. NAEYC resources on brain development include the following:

    • “Applying Brain Research to Create Developmentally Appropriate Learning Environments” (September 2001), in Young Children Vol. 56, No. 5, by Stephen Rushton, notes that brain research confirms the validity of many developmentally appropriate practices, as well as proves the theoretical relevance of such child-centered constructivist theorists as Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky. Additional information is available on the Web at http://www.journal.naeyc.org/search/item-detail.asp?page=1&docID=2580&sesID=1107375162827.
    • “Caregivers’ Corner: Another Look at Brain Research” (July 2001), in Young Children Vol. 56, No. 4, by Melissa Vaught, discusses enrichment products marketed to parents, as well as the academic push in preschool for kindergarten readiness, as a threat to the value of interaction/play between children and adults. Additional information is available on the Web at http://www.journal.naeyc.org/search/item-detail.asp?page=1&docID=2523&sesID=1107375221652.
  • National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
     at Harvard University
    617-496-0578
    World Wide Web: http://www.developingchild.net

    The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child is a multidisciplinary collaboration comprising many of the nation’s leading scientists in early childhood development. It combines cutting-edge, interdisciplinary scientific knowledge on early child development with highly sophisticated communication research methods designed to ensure accurate public understanding of that science. The Council also trains scholars who are competent in public communications by integrating this unique collaboration into the curricula of selected academic institutions, beginning with The Heller School at Brandeis University. Publications from the Council about brain development include the following:
  • “Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain” (Summer 2005), Working Paper No. 3, notes that the science of early childhood development, including knowledge about the impact of stress on the developing brain, supports a number of evidence-based implications for those who develop and implement policies that affect the health and well-being of young children. It suggests public and private actions that can prevent the kinds of adverse circumstances that are capable of derailing healthy development, as well as increase the likelihood that effective interventions will reduce potential damage to a young child’s developing brain architecture and thereby promote greater resilience. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/excessive_stress.pdf.
  • Stress and the Architecture of the Brain (2005), by Dorian Friedman, studies lessons that research is beginning to show about how the brain’s intricate architecture can be weakened or compromised when things go wrong for a child. It discusses how exposure to frequent stress causes the release of harmful chemicals in a child’s developing brain. This can impair the brain’s physical growth and make it harder for neurons to form connections with each other. This also affects a child’s ability to respond positively to future stresses and has direct and long-lasting physiological consequences. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/stress_article.pdf.
  • Interaction and the Architecture of the Brain (2005), by Dorian Friedman, explores research into how children’s early interactions with parents, caregivers, and others directly influence brain development. It suggests that policy-makers and the public should consider child care facilities as “brain-development centers.” This resource is available on the Web at http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/020705_interactions_article.pdf.
  • “Children’s Emotional Development is Built into the Architecture of Their Brains” (Winter 2004) Working Paper No. 2, states that emotional development is built into the architecture of young children’s brains in response to their individual personal experiences and the influences of the environments in which they live. In addition to describing what science knows about emotional development, it debunks common myths about the emotional development of young children. It also discusses implications for policy and programs. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/emotional_development_is_built.pdf.
  • “Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships” (2004), Working Paper No. 1, indicates that healthy development depends on the quality and reliability of young children’s relationships with the important people in their life, both within and outside the family. The development of children’s brain architecture depends on the establishment of these relationships. Young children experience their world as an environment of relationships, and these relationships affect virtually all aspects of their development (i.e., intellectual, social, emotional, physical, behavioral, and moral). Nurturing and stable relationships with caring adults are essential to healthy human development beginning from birth. Implications for policy and programs are described. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/environment_of_relationships.pdf. 
  • Neuroscience for Kids
    World Wide Web: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

    Neuroscience for Kids has been created for both students and educators alike to obtain useful, easy to understand information, news and Web links, experiments, and activities about neuroscience. The Web site includes a section titled “Explore the Nervous System” with information about the brain and its development. This resource can be found on the Web at http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/dev.html. In addition, certain resources of Neuroscience for Kids are available in Spanish, Slovene, Chinese, Portuguese, Italian, Korean and Turkish.

  • Talaris Research Institute
    World Wide Web: http://www.talaris.org/

    Talaris Research Institute is dedicated to discovering how children think, feel, and learn. Talaris synthesizes research into practical applications for parents, caregivers, educators, healthcare providers, and the corporate community. The Spotlights link on the Talaris Web site provides research summaries on a variety of topics, including language acquisition, emotions, infant sleep patterns, the effects of stress on babies, imitative behavior and memory, stranger anxiety, and hypothesis testing. These “crib notes” bring to life research efforts that have deepened the understanding of children’s development. Three one-minute video versions of Spotlights offer a short introduction to the Spotlights on Imitative Behavior, Hypothesis Testing and Speaking Parentese, which can be viewed on the Web. Talaris also produces a research-based timeline that can serve as a general guide to the five ways a child grows. Additional resources and information on research are also available.

  • ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
    World Wide Web: http://www.zerotothree.org

    ZERO TO THREE is a national organization focused exclusively on issues affecting infants and toddlers. They host the Web site, Brain Wonders, which offers information to parents, child care providers, and pediatric and family clinicians about how the brain develops, within the context of relationships, from conception through age 3. Brain Wonders is available on the Web at http://www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders/index.html.

    • Starting Smart: How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development (2000), 2nd ed., by ZERO TO THREE and The Ounce of Prevention Fund, examines the effects of early experiences on infant brain development. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.zerotothree.org/startingsmart.pdf.

Additional Publications on Brain Development

  • Quick Facts: What Research Shows about the Brain (2006), prepared by the Education Commission of the States, provides a bulleted list of quick facts taken from a number of recent research reports about the brain. This resource is available on the Web at http://ecs.org/html/IssueSection.asp?issueid=17&s=Quick+Facts.
  • Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development (1997; revised October 2003), by Rima Shore, published by the Families and Work Institute (FWI), is a major research document that summaries the key findings of brain research and the implications for policy and practice. Availability information is on the Web at http://www.familiesandwork.org/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=82.

    FWI has translated the science of brain development research from the report Rethinking the Brain into a Presentation Kit designed for a broad array of audiences and presenters. The visuals help guide audiences beyond the science by linking brain development research to children’s cognitive, social and emotional development, and summarize the lessons learned from this research. FWI also highlights the significant implications of this research for families, educators, policy-makers, child care providers, and others concerned about healthy development of young children. Additional information is available on the Web at http://www.familiesandwork.org/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=83.
  • “Brain Research and Its Implications for Early Childhood Programs” (July/August 2001), in Child Care Information Exchange (CCIE), by Child Care Information Exchange, Inc., discusses how brain development is contingent on a complex interplay between genes and environment, how early experiences contribute to brain structure and capacities, how early interactions affect brain “wiring,” how the brain develops nonlinearly, and how a child's brain is two and a half times as active as an adult's. CCIE includes this information in a training kit, Brain Research and Its Implications for Early Childhood Programs. Additional information about this kit is available on the Web at https://secure.ccie.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4500602.
  • “Development in the First Years of Life” (Spring/Summer 2001), in The Future of Children Vol. 11, No. 1, ed. Ross A. Thompson, explains brain development and links it to the growth of the body (size and coordination), the growth of the mind (language and problem-solving abilities), and the growth of the person (emotional and social mastery). It emphasizes how much early experiences and relationships matter. The accomplishments of infancy are considered in light of the importance of the environment for early development and the opportunities and vulnerabilities of the early years. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.futureofchildren.org/information2826/information_show.htm?doc_id=79334.
  • Fact Sheet on the Importance of Reading to Infants and Young Children (2001), by Association of American Publishers, presents facts on the importance of reading to infants and young children. Neuroscience research shows that reading aloud actually stimulates the growth of a baby’s brain. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.publishers.org/conference/pubinfo.cfm?PublicationID=6.
  • “Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Early Brain Development” (October, 2001), in In Focus, by the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, describes the research on brain development and specifically the effects of abuse and neglect on the developing brain during infancy and early childhood. Chronic stress or repeated trauma can result in a number of conditions: hyper-arousal, dissociation, disrupted attachment, lack of stimulation, and global neglect. Intensive, early interventions are the key to minimizing the long-term effects of early trauma on children’s brain development. Research on brain development should be used to expand and strengthen prevention efforts. This resource is available in HTML on the Web at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/focus/earlybrain/. A PDF version is available on the Web at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/focus/earlybrain/earlybrain.pdf.
  • Annotated Bibliography of Resources on Enhancing Brain Development (November 2000), by the Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy, is an infant and toddler training resource guide that lists CD-ROMs, videos, and print resources that focus on brain development. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.cpeip.fsu.edu/resourceFiles/resourceFile_16.pdf. 
  • From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000), eds. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, by the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine is a comprehensive study about early childhood. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.nap.edu/books/0309069882/html/.
  • Nature Nurture and Early Brain Development (January 2000), by Sara Gable and Melissa Hunting, Missouri University Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia, looks at early brain development from both the biological and environmental perspectives. The differences between critical and sensitive experiences are discussed. This resource is available on the Web at http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/humanrel/gh6115.htm.

Publications on the Implication of Brain Development Research on Policy/Programming

  • Early Learning Left Out: An Examination of Public Investments in Education and Development by Child Age (February 2004), by Voices for America’s Children and the Child and Family Policy Center, is a study that examined public investments in the education and development of children during the early learning years (0–5 years), the school-aged years (6–18 years), and the college-aged years (19–23 years). It is based upon detailed analyses of State, Federal, and school district spending in 12 States across the country in FY 2001. It notes that while 85 percent of a child’s core brain structure is formed by age 3, less than 4 percent of public investments on education and development have occurred by that time. All 12 States show large investment gaps between investments made in the early learning years compared with those made in the school-aged and college-aged years. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/AMTemplate.cfm?Section=
    ELLO&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=3384    .
  • Child Welfare and School Readiness: Making the Link for Vulnerable Children (2003), by Linda McCart and Charles Bruner, with Patricia Schene, published by the State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network, is a research brief designed to strengthen the connections between child welfare and other early childhood services in State and national efforts in order to promote and enhance optimal child development. It provides a brief overview of the school readiness–policy background and draws upon the growing evidence from brain research, child development, and child welfare to show the need to address developmental issues of children in the child welfare system. It also describes roles that the child welfare system can play in better addressing the educational and developmental needs of young children in their system. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.finebynine.org/pdf/CWSR.pdf.
  • Promoting School Success: Closing the Gap Between Research and Practice: Policy Implications of Current Research on Early Brain Development and Findings from Longitudinal and Cross-site Evaluations of Early Care and Education Programs (2003), by the Child Development Policy Institute Education Fund, published by the Child Development Policy Institute, presents a synthesis of the findings that emerged during a conference of early care and education practitioners on promoting school success (Promoting School Success: Transforming Research into Policy and Practice (January 2002), sponsored by the Child Development Policy Institute Education Fund and the Child Development Policy Institute). The recommendations that emerged are organized into the following five thematic areas: (1) “Early Brain Development,” (2) “How Children Learn,” (3) “Long Term Cost Benefits,” (4) “Importance of Caregivers,” and (5) “Communication Across Disciplines.” This resource is available on the Web at http://www.childlinkca.org/pdf/ProSchSuc.pdf.
  • “Connecting Brain Development Research to State Early Childhood Policy” (June 2002), in NCSL State Legislative Report Vol. 27, No. 12, by Bina Patel, published by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), examines State legislative activity surrounding early childhood and brain development research. State legislative policy activity has focused on several areas of early childhood: family and community engagement, school readiness, quality child care, and coordination of services. A list of State legislative reports is included for January 2002 through June 2002. Additional information is available from NCSL, Publications Division, at 303-364-7812 or on the Web at http://www.ncsl.org/bookstore/productdetail.htm?prodid=0173022712&keywords=connecting%20brain. 
  • Innovative Approaches: Using Brain Development Information to Promote Partnerships (January 2001), by the Child Care Partnership Project, funded by the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Youth, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides examples that demonstrate how public-private partnerships are using brain development information to enhance systems of early care and education. This resource is available on the Web at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/ccpartnerships/facts/fs16.htm.
  • Early Childhood Summit, Washington, DC, June 23, 2000: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley (June 2000), by Richard W. Riley, comprises remarks at the Early Childhood Summit in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2000. The paper notes the emergence of a national consensus about the value of early childhood education. It maintains that brain development research coupled with new research on how children learn to read has given child care advocates and educators clear direction about setting public and educational policy. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/06-2000/000623a.html.
  • Linking Neuroscience to the Care and Education of Young Children: Prenatal to Kindergarten Entry, prepared by the Parents As Teachers National Center (PATNC), Inc., is a resource for practitioners working with parents to help them provide the most nurturing environment for their children. Information about the availability of this resource is available from PATNC on the Web at http://www.parentsasteachers.org/site/apps/ka/ec/product.asp?c=ekIRLc
    MZJxE&b=272195&en=gpIGLMMqHaLGIQMwE5JDKYMELgIQLZMCIoKXKaI&ProductID=109364    .

Updated January 2007

 
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