early childhood development

Kids development from infant to toddler to child is amazing!

In five short years - a fraction of a normal lifespan - a child develops the physical, thinking and language, emotional and social abilities that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Every baby is born with billions of brain cells that represent life-long potential. Proper development requires that these brain cells connect with each other over time in a step-by-step, prescribed order.

How development happens…laying the foundation

Beginning in utero and continuing throughout the first years of life, there are especially sensitive periods for the developing brain.

Sensitive periods in early brain development

Source: Nelson, C.A. In Neurons to Neighbourhoods (2000). Shonkoff, J.& Phillips, D. (Eds.)

Early environments and early experiences matter …

Simply put, the quality of a child’s earliest environment and exposure to positive experiences at the right stages of development has a strong influence on the course of their life path.

Young children experience their world in an environment of relationships.

Nurturing relationships are essential …

‘Serve and return’ - building the foundation for future relationships At work in the ‘serve and

return’ process is the interaction of genes and

experience that not only shape and modify the

architecture of the developing brain, it is a key

ingredient informing relationships between

young children,their parents and other

caregivers.

It turns out mom was right when

she said “go outside and play,

it’s good for you!”

Young children need each other … the importance of play

When a child is raised in a constantly stressful environment we refer to this as “toxic stress.” Toxic stress is not good for anyone, but more so for the developing child.

Healthy development disrupted …

toxic environments

By school age in Canada, more than 25 per cent of children are behind where they should be in their physical, social, language or cognitive development by the time they enter kindergarten. This applies to Alberta children as well.

The gap between what we know and what we do …

Why does this matter so much?

EquityRenewal Prosperity

3Investing in early childhood development …

Our families are differentFamilies are smaller Most of us live in and around large citiesWe have more young aboriginal families, and growing numbers of young immigrant families

Alberta families – we’re changing

Alberta is increasingly an urban province with at least 80 per cent of us now living in and around large cities.

Alberta communities - we’re changing

Re-visiting how we provide support to young children and their families …

Where Do We Go From Here?

Measuring life readiness …

Common indicators across sectors that consider the whole child and her “life readiness” … we know too little about them or how our young children are doing overall.

Early and intensive in home support

Programs that support children and

their parents

Building on what we know is effective …

A truly integrated system for early learning and care

We have many examples of high quality early learning and care programs and services, but …

Well prepared and highly skilled staff Small play group sizes Age-appropriate learning activities and materials Language-rich environmentWarm relationships between children and staff

High quality, accessible and affordable opportunities for early childhood learning and care

What can we do – together – to ensure all Alberta children have opportunities to grow, develop and thrive?

Creating the village …

As individuals, families, communities and ‘communities of best practice’ we all have a stake in ensuring healthy early childhood development for Alberta children.

We're all in this together ...

www.health.alberta.ca/about/OCMOH-Reports.html