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The mission of the Center on the Developing Child is to leverage the power of science in pursuit of better, more equitable outcomes for young children facing adversity.

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Key Concepts in Early Childhood Development

Learn about six key scientific concepts that shape early development and lifelong health.

    brain architecture icon

    Brains are built over time, from the bottom up, through an ongoing process that begins before birth.

    Learn how early experiences shape brain architecture—and all our developing biological systems—which provide the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health.

    Brain Architecture

    Responsive, attentive interactions between a child and a caring adult, known as serve and return interactions, shape brain architecture.

    Learn how these interactions form a critical part of a child’s environment of relationships and impact development and lifelong health.  

    Serve and Return

    Toxic stress—the excessive or prolonged activation of our stress response systems—can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other biological systems.

    Learn how safe, stable developmental environments, including responsive relationships with caring adults, can help buffer against sources of stress, supporting early development and lifelong health. 

    Toxic Stress 

    Our earliest experiences and exposures, beginning well before birth, shape the development of brain architecture and other biological systems in interconnected ways.

    Learn more about how these systems adapt to children’s developmental environments—for better or worse—with potential lifelong impacts on health and well-being.

    Lifelong Health and Well-being  
    timing and critical periods icon

    Our biological sensitivity to environmental influences varies throughout life, making the timing of those influences particularly important. 

    Learn how the timing of young children’s experiences and exposures interact with their gene expression, with lifelong impacts on their health and well-being. 

    Timing and Critical Periods
    developmental environments icon

    The developmental environment includes the full range of experiences and exposures children have in the places where they live, learn, play, and grow.  

    Learn how environmental influences shape children’s learning, health, and well-being and how climate change and systemic racism are affecting developmental environments.  

    Developmental Environments

    Resource Library

    Our Resource Library offers science-based materials on various topics in early childhood development, including everything from toxic stress to the impacts of extreme heat. You can browse by topic, filter by format, or search for specific resources.

    Browse the Resource Library