PowerPoint Presentation The Science of Early Childhood Development

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The Science of Early Childhood Development and
the Foundations of Prosperity
HIROKAZU YOSHIKAWA, Ph.D. PROFESSOR OF
EDUCATION HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF
EDUCATION SCIENCE DIRECTOR of the NATIONAL FORUM
ON EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM EVALUATION CENTER ON
THE DEVELOPING CHILD, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Maine Business Leaders Summit on Early
Childhood Portland and Bath, ME September 24,
2009
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Decades of Science from Many Disciplines All
Point to the Same Conclusion
The healthy development of children provides a
strong foundation for healthy and competent
adulthood, responsible citizenship, economic
productivity, strong communities, and a
sustainable society.
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Four Numbers to Remember

• 700 per second
• 18 months
• Double the Risk
• 38 Percent

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Neural Circuits are Wired in a Bottom-Up
Sequence (700 synapses formed per second in the
early years)
Language
Higher Cognitive Function
Sensory Pathways (Vision, Hearing)
FIRST FIVE YEARS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Years
Months
Source C.A. Nelson (2000)
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Barriers to Educational Achievement Emerge at a
Very Young Age
1200
1000
Children of College Educated
800
Children of Lower Middle Class
Cumulative Vocabulary (Words)
600
Children of Parents in Poverty
400
200
16 mos.
24 mos.
36 mos.
Childs Age (Months)
Source Hart Risley (1995)
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Childhood Adverse Experiences Double the Risk
for Adult PTSD The 40-Year Dunedin Longitudinal
Study
Source Koenen et al., 2008
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Early Experiences Affect the Architecture of the
Developing Brain
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Brains and Skills Are Shaped by the Serve and
Return Nature of Human Interaction
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Science Tells Us that Early Life Experiences Are
Built Into Our Bodies
Research on the biology of stress illustrates how
threat raises heart rate, blood pressure, and
stress hormone levels, which can impair brain
architecture, immune status, metabolic systems,
and cardiovascular function.
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Three Levels of Stress
Positive Brief increases in heart rate, mild
elevations in stress hormone levels.
Tolerable Serious, temporary stress responses,
buffered by supportive relationships.
Toxic Prolonged activation of stress response
systems in the absence of protective
relationships.
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Toxic Stress Changes Brain Architecture
Typical neuron many connections
Normal
Toxic stress
Damaged neuron fewer connections
Prefrontal Cortex and Hippocampus
Sources Radley et al. (2004)
Bock et al. (2005)
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Families with Infants and Toddlers Face
Significant Economic Challenges
Under 21,200 for a family of four
(the Federal poverty threshold)
Maine Children Under Age 6 by Family Income
Poor 17
AboveLow Income 62
Low Income 21
Above 42,400 for a family of four
21,201-42,400 for a family of four
Source National Center for Children and
Poverty (2008)
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Implications for Policy and Practice
from Program Evaluation Research
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There Are No Magic Bullets

• Positive relationships and quality learning
  experiences can be promoted both at home and
  through a range of evidence-based parent
  education, family support, early care and
  education, and intervention services.

• Positive relationships and quality learning
  experiences can be promoted both at home and
  through a range of evidence-based parent
  education, family support, early care and
  education, and intervention services.

Butnot all programs are effective and there
are still limitations to what we know.
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Science Points Toward a Two-Tiered Approach to
Reducing Disparities
Broadly targeted health services, goodquality
early care and education, and (for families in
poverty) income support can promote healthy
development and early detection of problems.
NARROWLY
TARGETED SERVICES
BROADLY TARGETED HEALTH, CARE AND EDUCATION,
ECONOMIC SUPPORTS
More narrowly targeted services for children
experiencing tolerable or toxic stress can reduce
disruptions of the developing nervous and immune
systems that lead to later problems in learning,
behavior, and health.
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Tier 1 Broadly targeted health, care and
education, and economic supports
Access to basic medical care for pregnant women
and their children can help prevent threats to
healthy development as well as provide early
diagnosis and appropriate intervention when
problems emerge. Early, center-based care and
education with proven effectiveness factors has
consistently positive effects on the cognitive
abilities (e.g., language and literacy skills)
and early school success of young children in
poverty.
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Effectiveness Factors for Early Care and
Education Programs for Children From Birth to Age
5

• Qualified and well-compensated personnel
• Small group sizes and high adult-child ratios
• Language-rich environment
• Developmentally appropriate curriculum
• Safe physical setting
• Warm and responsive adult-child interactions

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Tier 1 Broadly targeted health, care and
education, and economic supports
Two-generation programs that combine early,
center-based care and education with support for
parents can have positive effects on both
children and parents in poverty. Finding the
right mix of services and mode of service
delivery (group vs. individual) and setting
(center vs. home) may differ by community.
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Tier 1 Broadly targeted health, care and
education, and economic supports
For low-income families, work-based income
supplements have been demonstrated to boost the
early school achievement of young children.
Policy options include expanded income tax
credits for low-income families, and welfare
reform policies that make work pay by providing
more income as parents make transitions from
welfare to work.
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Tier 2 More Narrowly Targeted Services

• For vulnerable parents expecting a first child,
  early and intensive support by a skilled home
  visitor can produce significant benefits for both
  the child and parents.
• No evidence that 1-3 visits have any impact.
• More highly trained visitors larger effects.
• Ensuring quality through extensive training and
  professional development is vital.
• Engaging and maintaining participation of
  families is a key challenge.
• Some successful programs specifically target
  populations at high risk with focused curricula.

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Tier 2 More Narrowly Targeted Services
For parents facing sources of toxic stress
(mental health problems, depression, substance
use, domestic violence) few programs have been
tested. Among these, successful programs have
specific content and curricula addressing the
source of stress. Example Family Connections
project addressing maternal depression in Head
Start.
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Maximizing Return on Investment
The basic principles of neuroscience and human
capital formation indicate that later remediation
will be more costly than preventive intervention
in the first years of life. Brains more
physiological energy needed to compensate for
poorly formed neural circuits. Society higher
cost of remedial education, clinical treatment,
crime
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Rates of Return to Human Capital
Investment(Return to an extra dollar at various
ages)
Heckman, J. Investing in Disadvantaged Young
Children Is Good Economics and Good Public
Policy, Testimony before the Joint Economic
Committee, Washington D.C., June 27, 2007
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Cost/Benefit for Two Early Childhood
Programs(Dollars returned for each dollar
invested)
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The Future of Early Childhood Intervention
Integrated Birth-to-Five Systems
Addressing family economic security, health, and
mental health, not just child cognitive
stimulation The Tulsa Childrens Project at
Tulsa Educare. Integration of workforce
development and adult education On-site health
and mental health promotion
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Advancing an Effective Policy Agenda
Increase participation of underrepresented
families and communities Maine counties with
low participation in effective 0-5 programs, e.g.
Enrich early primary care and policy settings
(well-baby visits, WIC clinics) with proven,
low-cost family interventions like the Family
Check-Up. Leverage the power of bipartisan
support and public-private partnerships. View
expanding opportunities birth to five as a wise
social and economic investment.
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www.developingchild.harvard.edu Hiro_yoshikawa_at_har
vard.edu