Nurturing the future: investing in early childhood development
From a video by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Studies have shown that healthy brain development during early childhood increases the likelihood of success later in life. By providing supportive, nurturing environments where children feel protected and learn social emotional skills, we have a greater chance of setting them up for a lifetime of good health.
In the first years of life, a child's brain grows at light speed. Nearly a million neural connections are made each second, a rate never matched again.
But brain development doesn't happen in a vacuum. The experiences children have at this early stage shape those connections and build a brain's foundation for the rest of their lives - from being taught to share, to learning how to cope with their emotions, to whether they receive proper nutrition, feel protected and nurtured.
Evidence shows that investing in a healthy start increases a child's likelihood to graduate, stay healthy and contribute to society later in life, as young adults, as community members.
It's on all of us to make their potential our priority, so that they can grow up in a culture of health.
Watch this 1 min video:
See also this blog, The Beginning of Life.
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From a video by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 05/10/2022