The science of brain development for children is increasingly clear — and we have failed miserably in sharing that very clear and important science about the powerful impact of development activities in the first weeks, months, and years of life for each child. The children who don't get simple and direct brain exercise in the first years of life fall behind — and it's extremely difficult for children who fall behind before age 4 to catch up later.
This blog series breaks down the key insights from our newest white paper: We Need to Help Every Family Help Every Child Exercise Their Brain. In it, we discuss our future as a nation based on the experiences that are happening right now for all of the children who are being born today.
Key Points
- The major learning gaps that we see in too many of our schools create a major part of our future trajectory as a nation.
- The processmust start immediately for every child.
- The impactof the first weeks, months, and years of life are extremely important for us all to understand.
Why This Matters
Exercising a child’s brain in the first days of life strengthens the brain. The interactions that each individual child receives in their first weeks of life puts them on the path that they'll be on for the rest of their life. Children who fall behind in the first three years of life, and who never learn to read well in school as a result, have a much more difficult time and are far more likely to drop out of school. The children who drop out of school because they can’t read or do math far too often have a difficult time finding employment — and the sad and painful reality is that far too many children who drop out of school eventually turn to gangs and crime.
Next Steps to Do Today
- Spend 30 minutes reading to your child.
- Donate books to local care givers and schools.
- Use the resources found at ThreeKeyYears.org.
Next time we’ll address what we can do to reduce the massive learning gaps in our schools.