A Guide to Developmental Environments
Developmental Environments
Timing and Critical Periods
Developmental environments consist of the full range of experiences and exposures that children encounter in the places where they live, grow, play, and learn, including everything from the consistency of responsive serve and return interactions to the quality and temperature of the air in a child’s home to the safety and accessibility of green space in their neighborhood. Beginning before birth, a wide range of conditions in a child’s developmental environment shape their developing brains and biological systems, with lifelong impacts on health and well-being. In other words, what surrounds us shapes us.
It is critical to recognize that the qualities of children’s developmental environments vary greatly across communities in the United States, shaped by longstanding systemic racism and, increasingly, the effects of climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels, including more frequent and intense heat waves, flooding, and wildfires. Understanding the influence of developmental environments on early childhood development—as well as addressing related inequities—is critical to working toward fairness across places and ensuring that all children can thrive. Explore the resources in this guide to learn more.
