At a Glance: Developmental Environments
Find key science takeaways about how children’s environments influence their development and practical strategies to take action in your community.
Our At a Glance series tells you what you need to know about key topics in early childhood development and shares actionable strategies to support children’s health and well-being. In this edition, learn how a wide range of conditions in children’s environments affect their development and lifelong health—and discover how we can create places free of hazards and rich with opportunity for all children.
View References
- National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2023). Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development: Working Paper No. 16. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu
- National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2020). Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined: Working Paper No. 15. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu
- De la Fuente F, Saldías MA, Cubillos C, et al. Green space exposure association with type 2 diabetes mellitus, physical activity, and obesity: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;18(1):97. doi:10.3390/ijerph18010097
- Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment. (2023). Extreme Heat Affects Early Childhood Development and Health: Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu
- Rawat N, Kumar P. Interventions for improving indoor and outdoor air quality in and around schools. Sci Total Environ. Feb 1 2023;858(Pt 2):159813. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159813