The Science of Early Childhood Development:

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The Science of Early Childhood Development

• Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We
  Do

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. Dean of The Heller School
for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis
University and Chair of the National Scientific
Council on the Developing Child Lincoln,
NE March 31, 2005
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• Each of us is the product of a continuous
  interaction between the influence of our personal
  life experiences and our unique genetic
  endowment.

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• Nurturing, responsive, and individualized
  relationships in the early years build healthy
  brain architecture that provides a strong
  foundation for all future growth and development.

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• Excessive and repeated stress causes the release
  of chemicals that disrupt the evolving
  architecture of the brain by impairing its growth
  and hindering the formation of healthy neural
  circuits.

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Normal Brain Architecture is Established Through
the Development of Highly Integrated Neural
Circuits that are Built in a Specific Sequence,
Within the Time Constraints of Sensitive Periods

• The good news
• The window of opportunity for skill development
  generally remains open for many years

• The sobering news
• Positive adaptation in the face of impaired
  brain circuits is more difficult and costly than
  getting it right the first time

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• Early childhood interventions can have
  substantial positive impacts that result in a
  significant return on investment, but those that
  work are rarely simple, inexpensive, or easy to
  implement.

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Data to Think About

• The Abecedarian Project generated a total
  benefit-cost ratio of 41 at age 21
• The Chicago Child-Parent Centers produced
  benefit-cost ratios of 71 total and 41 public
  at age 22
• Perry Preschool Project follow-up data at age 40
  indicate a total benefit-cost ratio of 171 (41
  for participants and 131 for the public)

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More Data to Think About

• Rolnick Grunewald (2004) calculated internal
  rates of return for the Perry Preschool Project
  and estimated a total annual return of 18 (1
  participant gain and 17 public benefit)
• Participant benefits are derived largely from
  higher earned income
• Public benefits include higher tax revenues and
  lower costs for special education, welfare
  support, and incarceration

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Still More to Ponder

• In a recent survey of 119 preschool teachers, 39
  reported expelling at least one child from their
  program in the preceding 12 months. (Gilliam,
  2004)
• In a recent study of 104 children under age 3
  with newly opened child protection cases, 54 had
  delays that met eligibility criteria for early
  intervention services (MECLI, 2004)

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Observations of a Nobel Laureate Economist

• Enriched pre-kindergarten programs available to
  disadvantaged children on a voluntary basis,
  coupled with home visitation programsare likely
  to generate substantial savings to society and to
  promote higher economic growth by improving the
  skills of the workforce. (Heckman Masterov,
  2004)
• Our analysis challenges the conventional point
  of view that equates skill with intelligence and
  draws on a body of research that demonstrates the
  importance of both cognitive and non-cognitive
  skills in determining socioeconomic success.
  (Carneiro Heckman, 2004)

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Three Take Home Messages for Policy Makers
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• If we really want to enhance children's readiness
  to succeed in school, then we must pay as much
  attention to their emotional health and social
  competence as we do to their cognitive abilities
  and academic skills.

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• If we really want a knowledge-based system of
  early care and education, then we cannot tolerate
  low skill levels and high turnover rates in
  preschool teachers and caregivers.

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A Proposed Two-Pronged Strategy For a
Science-Based Early Childhood Agenda

• Universal access to Pre-K for 3 and 4 year olds,
  with proactive enrollment of children from low
  income families, as an investment in reducing
  inequalities in pre-school opportunities
• Targeted intervention in the first 3 years for
  highly vulnerable children who experience toxic
  stress that jeopardizes both early brain
  development and lifelong health, learning, and
  behavior

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Three Core Challenges for Our Society
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• Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We
  Do
• Need to address the paradox of a rich and
  growing science base yet persistent resistance to
  significant investment in the healthy development
  of young children

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• Changing the Framework For Public Discussion
• Need for new strategies to build public will
  that transcend political partisanship and
  recognize the complementary responsibilities of
  family, community, workplace, and government to
  promote child health and development

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Building New Leadership

• Need for bipartisan cooperation among leaders in
  both the public and private sectors to address
  inequalities in opportunity, starting in the
  earliest years of life, as both a serious moral
  problem and a significant social and economic
  threat to our nations future

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