Parents Need to Know More About Early Childhood

N E W   Y O R K, Oct. 12 -- Parents, professionals and policy makers are ignoring research on the most effective ways to raise healthy infants, and their inaction could lead to a more troubled society, two recent studies say.

“From Neurons to Neighborhoods,” a National Academy of Sciences analysis of 40 years of early childhood development research, found that despite explosive growth in the field, policy makers are not using new knowledge to inform government programs created to aid parents and infants. With more working parents than ever before, the Oct. 3 report calls for more support and wiser allocation of already-available early childhood funds.

The other study, released Oct. 4, confirms the need for wiser governmental parenting policies. A poll of 3,000 adults showed parents overwhelmingly approve of more government support for programs, such as paid parental leave. The survey was conducted in June and July by two nonprofit groups — Chicago-based Civitas and Zero-to-Three of Washington, D.C. — and Brio Corp., a toy manufacturer in Germantown, Wis.

“We’re not using the knowledge we already have, and early childhood issues aren’t on the political agenda,” says Dr. Jack Shonkoff, author of the National Academy of Sciences report and dean of the Heller Graduate School at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. He spent more than two years reviewing early childhood research data to understand where the science stands and what development myths needs debunking.

Too Much Focus on Flashcards

Saying stable early relationships are a major determinant in babies’ later outlook on life, Shonkoff worries parents and professionals disproportionately focus on cultivating infants’ intellect at the expense of emotional and social development. Scientific evidence shows that even very young children are capable of experiencing deep anguish and grief in response to trauma, loss, and personal rejection. But many early childhood programs have failed to apply such findings to everyday dealings with kids, he concludes in the report.