Jack P. Shonkoff, a Harvard pediatrician, was only sort of joking when he referred to 3-year- olds as middle-aged.

By then, much of the basic circuitry of a child’s brain, a series of connections not yet formed at birth, has already developed.

A child whose parents interact with her will probably have well-formed brain circuits and a strong foundation to build on. A child raised in an abusive environment may have damage to his brain architecture that sets him on a path to lifelong problems in learning, behavior, and mental and physical health.

“Things are happening early on in the lives of young children that are either going to set a strong foundation for high economic achievement and high economic productivity … or can build a foundation that’s going to be the beginning of failure, of school failure and economic dependence and criminal behavior,” said Shonkoff, a professor of child health and development and founder of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

Shonkoff spoke to policymakers, educators and other professionals Tuesday as part of the Governor’s Early Childhood Summit.

“Every child gets one chance at their first 1,000 days,” Gov. M. Jodi Rell said. “We don’t want to squander that.”

The summit came as many states, including Connecticut, work to expand and remake early childhood programs, spurred in part by research that links a child’s earliest experiences to key brain developments. Studies have shown that focusing on the most disadvantaged children as early as possible can lead to significant savings in special education, welfare and prison costs, Shonkoff said. (…)

Stable, safe relationships and rich learning experiences are key to brain development, Shonkoff said. Children can get them at home and in child-care programs, but they must be evidence-based, quality programs, he said. Child care must be treated as something to facilitate child development, not just to allow parents to go to work, he said. (…)

Source: Hartford Courant, United States
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-ctwired0116.artjan16,0,4930379.story