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Early Childhood Development and the Foundations of Prosperity
Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Ph.D., Professor of Education
HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
SCIENCE DIRECTOR,
NATIONAL FORUM ON EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICY AND PROGRAMS
New Hampshire Legislative Meeting
Concord, New Hampshire
September 16, 2010
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The Importance of Early Childhood
The healthy development of all young children benefits all of society by providing a solid foundation for economic productivity, responsible citizenship, strong communities, and a secure nation.
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Building an Integrated Science of
Early Childhood Development
to Inform Policy
Integration of findings from neuroscience,
developmental psychology, molecular biology,
economics, and evaluation research to bridge
the gap between what we know
and what we do.
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Core Concepts of Development
Brains are built over time, neural circuits are wired in a bottom-up sequence, and the capacity for change decreases with age.
The interaction of genes and experience shapes the architecture of the developing brain, and a primary active agent is the ―serve and return‖ nature of children’s relationships with the important adults in their lives.
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newborn 1 month 3 months 6 months
Brain Growth in the Early Months
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Early Childhood Adversity Can Influence
a Range of Lifelong Outcomes
Research on the biology of stress response
helps explain some of the underlying
reasons for differences in learning,
behavior, and physical and mental health.
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ToxicProlonged activation of stress response systems
in the absence of protective relationships.
Three Levels of Stress Response
TolerableSerious, temporary stress responses, buffered by supportive relationships.
PositiveBrief increases in heart rate,
mild elevations in stress hormone levels.
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Source: Finkelhor et al. (2005)
U.S. Children Ages 2-5 (per 1,000)
Maltreatment Postpartum Depression
Sources of Toxic Stress in Young Children
130
98
Parental Substance Abuse
Source: SAMHSA (2002) Source: O-Hara & Swain (1996)
75
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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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Source: Nelson et al. (2007)
―normal‖ range
100
90
70
60
The Urgency of Early Enriched Environments in Cases of Extreme Adversity
Bucharest Orphanage Study
80
0-18 18-24 24-30 30+
―normal‖ range
0-18 18-24 24-30 30+
IQ/DQ
(Mean)
Age of placement in foster care (months)
DQ Tested at 3 1/2 Years Old IQ Tested at 4 1/2 Years Old
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Toxic Stress Changes Brain Architecture
Normal
Toxic stress
Prefrontal Cortex andHippocampus
Typical neuron—many connections
Damaged neuron—fewer connections
Sources: Radley et al. (2004)
Bock et al. (2005)
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35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
Extreme Adversity Disrupts Body Chemistry
Middle Class US Toddlersin Birth Families
Neglected/Maltreated ToddlersArriving from Orphanages Overseas
Percent of Children
with Abnormal
Stress Hormone
Levels
Source: Gunnar & Fisher (2006)
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Poverty as a Barrier to Social Mobility: As Early as 18 Months
16 mos. 24 mos. 36 mos.
Cu
mu
lati
ve V
ocab
ula
ry (
Wo
rd
s)
College Educated Parents
Lower Middle-Class Parents
Poor Parents
Child’s Age (Months)
200
600
1200
Source: Hart & Risley (1995)
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Culture or Context in Predicting
Children’s Early Learning?
New York study of immigrant and ethnically diverse
families (Yoshikawa and Tamis-LeMonda):
•Mexican, Dominican and African American parents
equally likely to express support for achievement
and learning goals, at 1, 6, 14, and 24 months (Ng,
Godfrey, Tamis-LeMonda, Yoshikawa, & Kahana-Kalman, 2009)
• Frequency and time spent in cognitively
stimulating activities do not differ at 14 or 24
months (Tamis-LeMonda & Kahana-Kalman)
• Contexts – poverty, documentation status – seem
to matter more than cultural factors like parent
goals for differences in children’s early learning (Yoshikawa, forthcoming)
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Implications for
Policy and Practice from
Program Evaluation
Research
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Program Evaluation Research Helps Identify Effectiveness Factors
Not all programs are effective.
Effectiveness factors are key to distinguishing those programs that work from those that do not.
Our goal: to provide clearer guidance than the usual calls for ―quality.‖
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Science Points Toward 3 Types of Services to Ensure Healthy Development
Basic health care, child care, and early learning opportunities to help all children build and sustain strong bodies and brains.
Broadly targeted supports for children faced with major risk factors for poor development.
Specialized interventions for children and families with complex needs.
SPECIALIZED
BROADLY TARGETED
BASIC SERVICES
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Tier 1: Basic health services and early care and education
Access to basic medical care for pregnant women and their children can help prevent threats to healthy development and provide early diagnosis and appropriate intervention when problems emerge.
Access to safe, stable care environments in the first years of life provides crucial developmental support to children in all families that need child care.
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U.S. Child Care & Early Education Quality: Uneven at Best
Data for 3 year olds in the Fragile Families study. Source: Rigby, Ryan & Brooks-Gunn (2007)
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Effectiveness Factors for Early Care
and Education Programs for
Children From Birth to Age 5
• Skilled 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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Effects of Early Childhood Care and
Education on Black and Latino Children
• Immediate (end of preschool year) effects of
Head Start on language skills larger and more
consistent for Latino and African American children
than White children (National HS Impact Study)
• Tulsa Pre-Kindergarten study: Positive cognitive
effects (letter-word ID, spelling, arithmetic) largest
for Latinos
• Early Head Start (EHS) and Nurse-Family
Partnership effects generally as large for African
American and Latino families as for other groups;
EHS effects particularly strong for Black children
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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.
Tier 2: Broadly targeted interventions such as income supports for
children in poverty
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Making Work Pay Pays off in Student Achievement
Source: Morris et al. (2005)
Effects on Student Achievement
vs. No Intervention
Earning Supplement
All OtherPrograms
.100
.075
.050
0
Earning Supplement
All OtherPrograms
Age 2-3 Age 4-5
.025
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Tier 3: Targeted services for children experiencing tolerable or
toxic stress
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Tier 3: Targeted services for children experiencing tolerable or toxic stress
For vulnerable parents expecting a first child, early, intensive support by a skilled home visitor can produce significant benefits.
Effectiveness factors for home visiting include:
• More highly trained visitors = larger effects.
• No evidence that 1-3 visits have any impact.
• 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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Sources: Beardslee, Gladstone, Wright, & Cooper, 2003; Chaffin et al., 2004; Fisher & Kim (2007)
For parents facing sources of toxic stress (mental health problems, depression, substance use, domestic violence), successful programs have specific content and curricula addressing the source of stressand its effects on children and families
Example: Multi-Dimensional Treatment Foster Care.
BUT few programs have been tested.
Tier 3: Targeted services for children experiencing tolerable or toxic stress
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Science Points Toward 3 Types of Services to Ensure Healthy Development
Basic health care, child care, and early learning opportunities to help all children build and sustain strong bodies and brains.
Broadly targeted supports for children faced with major risk factors for poor development.
Specialized interventions for children and families with complex needs.
SPECIALIZED
BROADLY TARGETED
BASIC SERVICES
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www.developingchild.harvard.edu
HIROKAZU YOSHIKAWA, PH.D.
PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION
HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Thanks to other members of the Forum as well as the
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the
Buffett Early Childhood Fund.