The Research

80-90% of brain development happens in the first 5 years of life.

Ludy-Dobson, C. & Perry, B. “The Role of Healthy Relational Interactions in Buffering the Impact of Childhood Trauma” (2010).

“In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second.”

Harvard Center on the Developing Child. “Five Numbers to Remember About Early Childhood Development” (2017).

“The science on brain development is clear: To create the largest change, all signs point back to the child’s earliest years.”

University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development (video).

16.2% of families in the Greater Boston area are living below the poverty line, compared to 11.5% across the United States.

The Boston Foundation. “Understanding Boston” (2016).

“Parents living in poverty lack resources and supports and face disproportionate burdens that impair positive parenting practices and limit parental involvement in children’s schooling.”

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Parent Engagement Practices Improve Outcomes for Preschool Children” (2017).

“Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of healthy child development… When a young child’s stress response systems are activated within an environment of supportive relationships with adults, the physiological effects are buffered and brought back down to baseline.”

Harvard Center on the Developing Child. “Toxic Stress” (2017).

75% of children from families with moderate-to-high incomes were prepared to enter kindergarten, compared to 48% of children from families living in poverty.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Parent Engagement Practices Improve Outcomes for Preschool Children” (2017).

One stable and responsive relationship helps children overcome adversity.

Harvard Center on the Developing Child. “From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts” (2016).

“Policies and programs that address the needs of adult caregivers and help them to engage in responsive interactions will in turn help support the healthy development of children.”

Harvard Center on the Developing Child. “Serve and Return” (2016).

“Children who experience positive, nurturing environments during the early years demonstrate more positive outcomes, such as healthier social relationships, higher academic and professional achievement, and enriched psychological and physical health.”

Judge Baker Children’s Center. “Early Childhood Development: Implications for Policy, Systems and Practice” (2017).

Nine out of ten families surveyed by the Search Institute did not have the community and social connections needed to support their families.

“Families who struggle the most often have weaker social connections and supports. An opportunity, then, lies in strengthening the… social bonds—particularly with other families and parenting adults who share common priorities, challenges, and interests—so that families have trustworthy people they can turn to when they need more support or encouragement.”

SearchInstitute. “Don’t Forget the Families” (2015).

Studies show that parents who have a greater knowledge of child development are able to interact more positively with their children.

National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Parenting Matters: Supporting Parents of Children Ages 0-8” (2016).

“We should not underestimate the role of the parent and the power that comes from providing parents with information, resources and choice. Ensuring that parents have the knowledge and resources for providing a stimulating home environment is just as important, if not more important, as anything that happens in the classroom when children enter school.”

Heckman. “Going Forward Wisely: Professor Heckman’s Remarks from the White House Summit on Early Education” (2014).

For every $100 spent on high-quality early childhood programs for disadvantaged children, $113 is contributed back to society.

Heckman. “The Lifecycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program” (2016). 

“Investments that bolster the parenting capacities of families are the most effective way to promote social mobility and foster equal opportunities for all.”

Heckman. “Going Forward Wisely: Professor Heckman’s Remarks from the White House Summit on Early Education” (2017).