Supporting Science-Informed Policy
The Center collaborates with partners to develop science-informed policy solutions that address pressing challenges. By integrating the latest research with the needs of different contexts and communities, we ensure that policies are informed by the science of early childhood development and responsive to evolving opportunities. The examples below highlight how the Center has brought emerging science into recent policy efforts at the national, state, and local levels.
Boston Extreme Heat and Early Childhood Roundtable (2024–ongoing)
The Center partnered with the Office of Early Childhood, City of Boston, to host the Boston Extreme Heat and Early Childhood Roundtable series. This initiative was motivated by Boston’s leadership in climate resilience and early childhood policy, along with the Center’s recent science synthesis documenting how extreme heat affects early childhood development and health. A multi-sector group from across city government was convened, together with local pediatricians and primary caregivers of young children. The roundtable included three sessions and concluded with the group selecting three areas for action: understanding the needs of early care and education programs during hotter weather, enhancing communication about the effects of extreme heat, and creating more spaces for young children and their caregivers to go during heat emergencies. Each of these areas launched pilot programs over the summer, and in fall 2024, Boston’s new Children’s Council adopted this work as one of its three priorities.
New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham’s Early Childhood Summit (2023–2024)
The Center partnered with the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department and the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center to support the design of New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham’s Early Childhood Summit. This event brought together over 200 participants to celebrate progress and develop new strategies for achieving a universal, high-quality early childhood system that serves New Mexico children and their caregivers.
Read more about the summit.
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center’s Paid Family Leave Policy Academy (2023)
The Center partnered with the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center to host a session during its Paid Family Leave Policy Academy, titled “Putting Science to Work: How Three Simple Principles Can Help Align Your Program with What We Know from the Science of Early Childhood Development.” This session discussed key concepts from the science of early childhood development that policymakers, community leaders, and practitioners can use to design better policies, programs, practices, and services for young children and their caregivers. The Center also introduced a tool to align decisions with current science and identify effective science-based talking points to build engagement. Participants included diverse state teams comprising legislators, state administrators, and advocates.
Early Years Climate Action Task Force (2022-2023)
Through a collaboration with Capita and This Is Planet Ed, the Center served as a science partner to the Early Years Climate Action Task Force by contributing scientific expertise to support a new action plan published by the Task Force in 2023. The Center’s work was used to frame how climate change affects young children’s health and development. This work is now being shared widely with policy leaders to catalyze action.
Read the U.S. Early Years Climate Action Plan.