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Leveraging Developmental Insights to Improve Early Childhood Education
Author(s) -
Markowitz Anna J.,
Bassok Daphna,
Hamre Bridget
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/cdep.12266
Subject(s) - early childhood , odds , psychology , early childhood education , developmental science , developmental psychology , child development , cognitive development , cognition , medicine , logistic regression , neuroscience
Public investments in early childhood education have increased sharply over the past three decades. Nonetheless, many children in the United States do not have access to high‐quality early education settings and large sociodemographic gaps in children's early learning remain. In this article, we argue that to address these issues, early learning policies must not only invest more in children's earliest years, but invest smarter. We describe three insights from developmental science and provide evidence that the current system of supports for early learning is at odds with what we now know about when and how children develop. We end with recommendations for anchoring early childhood policy and practice in developmental science, and improving children's interactions and learning experiences in their first years of life.