Greg Duncan

For policy purposes, the developmental window between birth and age 3 begins too late and ends too early, according to a National Research Council study released last fall by a committee of 17 scientists that included Greg Duncan (IPR-Education and Social Policy).

Prenatal conditions are crucial for healthy development, and there are many examples of successful interventions beyond age 3.

Over 2 l/2 years, the group of experts from neuroscience, medicine, and the social sciences evaluated interdisciplinary research about the nature of early experiences on the development of young children. Their findings are contained in the book, From Neurons to Neighborhoods:

The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000), co-edited by Jack Shonkoff at Brandeis University and Deborah Phillips at Georgetown University.

The book stresses the central importance of early relationships for children’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. It points out that more than four-million children under age 5 are living in poverty, which puts a heavy burden on their development. Children in families at the deepest poverty levels are at the highest risk for developmental problems, Duncan said. This is especially true for those deprived of at least one caring parent who has been compelled by welfare reform to join the labor force.

Despite dramatic changes in society, the book finds young children’s needs are not being met and advocates a comprehensive look at policies that affect them. For example, linkages are weak between the nation’s social and mental health streams, and between the early intervention systems of welfare agencies and juvenile justice. It also says more attention must be paid to mental health, the caliber of child care workers, and working mothers with young children.

There is good evidence that appropriately designed early intervention programs for high-risk children can make a difference, Duncan said. “Emotional self-regulation and social development may be as important as cognitive learning.”

The book recommends that government strive to alleviate economic hardship of the poorest families (e.g., through tax policies, the EITC, minimum wage laws, and subsidized child care), raise child care standards, and provide intervention services for children with special needs.

Businesses, by more lenient leave policies and flexible work schedules, can support parents’ efforts to develop healthy relationships with their children.

Parents must deal with preventable problems, such as poor nutrition, specific infections, and prenatal exposure to environmental toxins and drugs. In addition, they should give newborns sufficient auditory and visual stimuli.

Finally, to produce the best possible outcomes, the researchers would like to see child development research become more integrated with molecular genetics and neuroscience.

The book may be viewed or ordered at http://www.nap.edu.