- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University - https://developingchild.harvard.edu -

Early Childhood Mental Health

As early experiences shape the architecture of the developing brain [1], they also lay the foundations of sound mental health. Disruptions to this developmental process can impair a child’s capacities for learning and relating to others — with lifelong implications. By improving children’s environments of relationships and experiences early in life, society can address many costly problems, including incarceration, homelessness, and the failure to complete high school.