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      Social-Emotional Development in the First Three Years

      Research Apr-01-2018 | Thompson RA | 2-min read
      1. Insights
      2. Our Research
      3. Social-Emotional Development in the First Three Years
      Download report
      Family Reading. Two Generation Family Reading Father Son Niece

       

      The first three years of a child’s life are one of the most critical phases of brain development. In these early years, infants’ brains are developing more than one million neural connections every second. Parents and caregivers play a key role in creating the foundation for a young child’s social and emotional development.

       

      The Issue

      In the first three years of life, children achieve remarkable advances in social and emotional development (SED) that establish a foundation for later competencies. Yet even in the first three years, these achievements can be threatened by exposure to elevated stresses of many kinds. Family poverty, marital conflict, parental emotional problems, experiences of trauma, neglect, or abuse and other adversities cause some infants and toddlers to experience anxious fearfulness, overwhelming sadness, disorganized attachment, or serious problems managing behavior and impulses. This brief surveys a range of strategies to strengthen adult caregiving and improve young children’s socioemotional development, with the goal of supporting the latter by strengthening the former.  

       

      Key Findings


       

      • Early social and emotional development establishes a psychological foundation for emerging competence across developmental domains and is based on children’s relationships with those who care for them.
      • Social and emotional health is vulnerable to adversity, which affects many young children.
      • High-quality, evidence-based home visitation programs can strengthen early social and emotional development by improving the quality of parental care and adult functioning.
      • Parent skills training programs can significantly improve the quality of parental care and strengthen young children’s SED.
      • Two-generation programs like Early Head Start offer promise for strengthening early childhood SED and parental quality of care through interventions designed for each partner.

       

      Conclusion

      Careful research has documented several evidence-based programs that have produced modest but meaningful gains in strengthening early social-emotional competencies by improving caregiving practices and adult-child relationships. These achievements are noteworthy because the intervention strategy is indirect—young children’s security, behavioral adjustment, and other outcomes are improved by changing adult behavior—illustrating the intimate connection between a young child’s social-emotional adjustment and the well-being of those who are intimately involved in the child’s care. 

      About Pennsylvania State University

      Founded in 1855, the Pennsylvania State University is a renowned public research university that educates students from around the world and collaborates with partners to share valuable knowledge that improves the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities. For more information, visit www.psu.edu. To learn more about the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, go to prevention.psu.edu.

       

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      Cambridge's Baby U is a 16-week parenting program for expectant parents and those with children up to age
three years, modeled after Harlem Children Zone’s Baby College. Cambridge is one of six winners of the inaugural RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize.

      Boosting A Baby’s Brain Power by Supporting Parents and Caregivers

      RWJF and ZERO-TO-THREE launched the Think Babies campaign to help families let policymakers know that the healthy development of infants and toddlers should be a national priority.

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      Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ. Health Care Delivery.



***THESE IMAGES ARE NOT FOR RESALE WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION AND CANNOT BE PUT INTO GENERAL CIRCULATION OR SENT TO AGENTS.***

      Voters' Attitudes Toward Emotional Development in Young Children + Infants

      ZERO TO THREE surveyed voters to explore awareness of parents’ attitudes and perspectives on policy ideas to support the healthy development of infants and toddlers.

      2-min read

      Early Childhood
      Collection
      Kingsley House Early Childhood Development Center at the Bayou District. This is a Head Start program for pre-K children situated near the newly built Columbia Parc community in New Orleans.

      Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

      Resources for policymakers, practitioners and communities working to mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences, and help every child have a healthy start in life.

      1-min read

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