The National Symposium on Early Childhood Science and Policy, held in June 2008, was designed to build leadership capacity in the states for developing and implementing science-based policies that enhance children’s learning, behavior, and health. To help states learn the science of early childhood and apply lessons learned from 40 years of program evaluation research to their policy frameworks, the Center on the Developing Child, in partnership with the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the National Conference of State Legislatures jointly presented the Symposium, which took place at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. This nonpartisan, educational event shared cutting-edge scientific knowledge and evidence-based conclusions drawn from extensive evaluations of early childhood programs, policies, and interventions.

The Symposium built on the findings of A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy. State-based teams of legislators, gubernatorial policy advisors, and business and civic leaders joined with world-renowned researchers and Harvard faculty members to learn about recent advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, medicine, and developmental psychology—which together form an integrated science of early childhood development—as well as evidence-based policy implications from four decades of rigorous program evaluation research.

Plenary sessions were organized to address the science of early childhood and its implications for state policies and practices, as well as the lessons learned from states that have already incorporated science into their policies, including information on outcomes, challenges, and solutions.

Building on lessons learned throughout the day, state teams met in small-group breakout sessions to engage in peer learning and focus more specifically on the needs in their states, or on specific relevant scientific, programmatic, or policy issues. At the end of the sessions, all state teams reconvened to share the content of their breakout work and discuss next steps.