Established in 2003, the National Scientific Council is a multi-disciplinary collaboration of scientists and scholars from universities across the United States and Canada designed to bring the science of early childhood and early brain development to bear on public policy decision-making. The mission of the Council is to synthesize and communicate science to help inform policies that promote successful learning, adaptive behavior, and sound physical and mental health for all young children. Central to this concept is the ongoing generation, analysis, and integration of knowledge and the critical task of educating policymakers, civic leaders, and the general public about the rapidly growing science of early childhood development and its underlying neurobiology.
The Science of Early Childhood
Neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics tell us that early life experiences are built into our bodies. They get under our skin and into the brain and other organ systems, with lasting effects on individuals, communities, society, and the economy. Children subjected to poverty, violence, or neglect during these early years without a supportive network of adults can end up with faulty “wiring” that has long-term consequences well into adulthood. Experiences during the first few years of life – good and bad—literally shape the architecture of the developing brain. Stable, positive relationships with adults and growth-promoting experiences are key to the development of the architecture that forms the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health. More >
WORKING PAPER #10
Early Experiences Can Alter Gene Expression and Affect Long-Term Development
New scientific research shows that environmental influences can actually affect whether and how genes are expressed. Thus, the old ideas that genes are “set in stone” or that they alone determine development have been disproven. In fact, scientists have discovered that early experiences can determine how genes are turned on and off and even whether some are expressed at all. Therefore, the experiences children have early in life—and the environments in which they have them—shape their developing brain architecture and strongly affect whether they grow up to be healthy, productive members of society. This new report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child summarizes in clear language why this growing scientific evidence supports the need for society to re-examine the way it thinks about the circumstances and experiences to which young children are exposed.
Read more & download PDF >>
Interactive Feature
How Early Experiences Alter Gene Expression and Shape Development
A new interactive feature describes and explains in simple terms 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.
InBrief: The Impact of Early Adversity on Children's Development
This edition of the InBrief series outlines basic concepts from the research on the biology of stress, which show that major adversity can weaken developing brain architecture and permanently set the body's stress response system on high alert. Science also shows that providing stable, responsive environments for children in the earliest years of life can prevent or reverse these conditions, with lifelong consequences for learning, behavior, and health.
Download PDF >
More videos and PDFs from the InBrief series >
Reports & Working Papers
Briefs
Questions & Answers
The Long Reach of Early Childhood Poverty: Pathways and Impacts
The long-run consequences of economic adversity in childhood show that when children experience poverty matters to their later-life outcomes, according to new data discussed at the 2010 AAAS Annual Meeting symposium, “The Long Reach of Early Childhood Poverty: Pathways and Impacts.” In this new Q&A, symposium panelists Drs. Greg Duncan and Katherine Magnuson, Tom Boyce, and Center Director Jack Shonkoff answer frequently asked questions regarding what exactly it is about poverty that causes problems, why serious adversity early in life can weaken the architecture of the developing brain, what innovative solutions can help, and more. Boyce, Duncan, and Shonkoff are members of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, and Duncan, Magnuson, and Shonkoff are members of the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs.
Council Members
Learn about the Council's unique, multi-disciplinary, multi-university group of scientists and scholars. More >
Council Publications
The Council has created a series of publications to marry the science of early childhood and brain development with state-of-the-art communications research designed to effectively translate that knowledge for non-scientific audiences. More >
Major support for the Council has been provided by: the Birth to Five Policy Alliance, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Norlien Foundation, and the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund.
