Session 12: November 28th
Policy Advice to the President
Education
and Early
Childhood
Development
Jim Stergios
Executive Director,
Pioneer Institute for Public
Policy Research
Paul Toner
President, Massachusetts
Teachers Association
Tassy Warren
Project Director,
Center on the Developing
Child at Harvard University
School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs | Northeastern University
In loving memory of John
Sarvey
6/1/1967- 11/24/2012
Session 12: November 28th
Policy Advice to the President
Education
and Early
Childhood
Development
Jim Stergios
Executive Director,
Pioneer Institute for Public
Policy Research
Paul Toner
President, Massachusetts
Teachers Association
Tassy Warren
Project Director,
Center on the Developing
Child at Harvard University
School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs | Northeastern University
Early Childhood Development
and Policy Implications
Tassy Warren
Center on the Developing Child
Open Classroom, Northeastern University|
November 28, 2012
YOUR
INSTITUTION’S
LOGO
The Foundation of a Successful Society is
Built in Early Childhood
Successful Parenting of Next Generation
Educational
Achievement
Economic
Productivity
Responsible
Citizenship
Lifelong
Health
Three Core Concepts of Development
1
2
3
Brain Architecture Is Established Early in Life and
Supports Lifelong Learning, Behavior, and Health
Stable, Caring Relationships and “Serve and
Return” Interaction Shape Brain Architecture
Toxic Stress in the Early Years of Life Can
Derail Healthy Development
Experiences Build Brain Architecture
Brain Architecture Supports Lifelong
Learning, Behavior, and Health
Brains are built over time,
starting in the earliest years
of life. Simple skills come
first; more complex skills
build on top of them.
Cognitive, emotional, and
social capabilities are
inextricably intertwined throughout the life course.
A strong foundation in the early years improves the odds
for positive outcomes and a weak foundation increases
the odds of later difficulties.
Serve & Return Builds Brains and Skills
Young children naturally reach
out for interaction through
babbling, facial expressions,
and gestures, and adults
respond in kind.
These “serve and return"
interactions are essential for
the development of healthy
brain circuits.
Therefore, systems that support the quality of relationships
in early care settings, communities, and homes also
support the development of sturdy brain architecture.
The Ability to Change Brains
Decreases Over Time
Normal Brain Plasticity
Influenced by
Experience
Birth
10
20
Physiological “Effort” Required
to Enhance Neural
Connections
30
40
Age (Years)
50
60
70
Source: Levitt (2009)
Cumulative Vocabulary (Words)
Barriers to Educational Achievement
Emerge at a Very Young Age
1200
1000
College Educated
Parents
800
600
Working Class
Parents
Welfare
Parents
400
200
16 mos.
24 mos.
Child’s Age (Months)
36 mos.
Source: Hart & Risley (1995)
An “Air Traffic Control System” in the Brain
Error
Processing
Behavioral
Control
Working
Use of
Memory
Rules
Risk/Reward
Decisions
Reaction
and
Responses
Executive function and selfregulation skills comprise an
array of capacities that
include the ability to focus
and sustain attention, set
goals and make plans, follow
rules, solve problems,
monitor actions, and control
impulses.
Emotions
 A key biological foundation of school readiness as well as outcomes in
health and employability
What are Executive Function Skills?
Inhibitory Control — filter thoughts and
impulses to resist temptations and
distractions
Working Memory — hold and manipulate
information in our heads over short periods of time
Mental flexibility — adjust to changed
demands, priorities, or perspectives
Skill proficiency
When Do Executive Function Skills Develop?
Birth
3
5
10
15
25
30
50
70
80
Age (Years)
Weintraub, et al., (2011)
Policy Implications
-Invest early - during the time of greatest cognitive development – in
high quality programs
-Return on investment
-Lower education, health care, incarceration costs down the road
-Increased earning, taxes
-Invest more in those at higher risk
-90-100% chance of developmental delays when exposed to
significant adversity
-3:1 odds of adult heart disease after 7-8 adverse childhood
experiences
Policy Implications
-It’s not just about the kids
-Adult capacity
-Community capacity
-Creative use of existing funding streams
Policy Implications
FIVE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER ABOUT ECD
Tassy Warren
Director
YOUR
INSTITUTION’S
Frontiers
of Innovation initiative
LOGO
www.developingchild.harvard.edu
Session 12: November 28th
Policy Advice to the President
Education
and Early
Childhood
Development
Jim Stergios
Executive Director,
Pioneer Institute for Public
Policy Research
Paul Toner
President, Massachusetts
Teachers Association
Tassy Warren
Project Director,
Center on the Developing
Child at Harvard University
School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs | Northeastern University
Open Classroom Series
Spring 2013
Climate: Challenges and Solutions
Wednesday evenings, 6:00 to 8:00pm
January 9th – April 17th
West Village F, Room 20
Session 12: November 28th
Policy Advice to the President
Immigration
Eva Millona
Jeff Jacoby
Executive Director,
Massachusetts
Immigrant and
Refugee Advocacy
Coalition
Boston Globe
columnist
School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs | Northeastern University