All of the media products created at the Center on the Developing Child have been crafted with the goal of helping to close the gap between what experts know about the science of early childhood and what the public understands and does about it. The Center strives to present information, especially scientific information, in a way that is accessible to a wide range of readers. The Center has a longstanding partnership with the non-profit FrameWorks Institute, which performs communications research designed to help the Center—and its initiatives, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs—translate the science of early childhood development accurately and understandably to scientists and non-scientists alike.
The materials on this site appear in a variety of lengths, styles, and formats in order to appeal to a variety of audiences. The section "Articles & Books" is intended primarily for a scientific audience and includes peer-reviewed journal articles. All other Center publications are designed for non-scientific audiences.
Working Paper
Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function
Being able to focus, hold, and work with information in mind, filter distractions, and switch gears is like having an air traffic control system at a busy airport to manage the arrivals and departures of dozens of planes on multiple runways. In the brain, this air traffic control mechanism is called executive functioning, a group of skills that helps us to focus on multiple streams of information at the same time, and revise plans as necessary. Acquiring the early building blocks of these skills is one of the most important and challenging tasks of the early childhood years, and the opportunity to build further on these rudimentary capacities is critical to healthy development through middle childhood, adolescence, and into early adult life. This joint Working Paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs explains how these lifelong skills develop, what can disrupt their development, and how supporting them pays off in school and life.
View all Reports & Working Papers >>
POLICY STATEMENT
"Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science Into Lifelong Health"
TECHNICAL REPORT
"The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress"
In the policy statement that appears in the January 2012 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls on “the entire pediatric community…to catalyze fundamental change in early childhood policy and services.” It urges a “greater focus on those interventions and community investments that reduce external threats to healthy brain growth.” Along with a technical report on the science of toxic stress, the policy statement marks the first time that the AAP, the premier U.S. organization of physicians who care for infants, children, adolescents and young adults, has highlighted toxic stress as a topic for urgent attention, and builds upon the cumulative work of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the Center on the Developing Child.
Read or download the full policy statement on the AAP Web site >>
Read or download the full technical report on the AAP Web site >>
NEW VIDEO SERIES
Three Core Concepts in Early Development
This new, three-part video series from the Center and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse.
View these videos & read more about this series >>
View all videos from the Center >>
Interactive Feature
How Early Experiences Alter Gene Expression and Shape Development
This interactive feature explains how early experiences get into the body and change how genes are expressed, with lifelong consequences on developing organs, including the brain. Using an easy-to-follow slideshow format, this feature illustrates key scientific concepts from Working Paper #10: Early Experiences Can Alter Gene Expression and Affect Long-Term Development.
View this interactive feature >>
View more interactive features from the Center >>
InBrief Series
InBrief: The Foundations of Lifelong Health
This edition of the InBrief series explains why a vital and productive society with a prosperous and sustainable future is built on a foundation of healthy child development. The brief summarizes findings from The Foundations of Lifelong Health Are Built in Early Childhood. This PDF was designed to be printed on one page, front and back. Each of the briefs in this series are also available in video format.
Read more & download PDF >>
View video format of this brief >> 
