Why Are the Early Years Important?
The first years are critical for building healthy brains
More than 80% of a child's brain forms during the first three years of life and the formation of neural connections is fastest at birth and slows over time. Since brain development is incredibly malleable, the inputs that the child receives, including adequate nutrition, love and care, and stimulation from parents during this critical period have lasting effects on a child's brain development!
Children's early experiences and environment play a large role in their skill development and later school success
According to Harvard's Center on the Developing Child, "early experiences affect the development of brain architecture, which provides the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health." Educational experiences including social and emotional learning and the learning environment that parents provide in the early years, have been found to be vitally important for later success in school and beyond, further emphasizing the early years for building a foundation for future learning and life.
Unfortunately, some children don’t receive the early care and attention they need to succeed
When children don't receive adequate care and stimulation in the early years they are at risk of underperformance when they begin school. Recent studies indicate that the income-based achievement gaps in cognitive skills such as math and reading are fully substantiated at the time children enter kindergarten. What's worse, children who start behind often stay behind.
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