Science tells us more clearly than ever how the conditions and environments in which children develop affect lifelong health as well as educational achievement. How can we apply this knowledge to design better policies and services for children and families that will impact both learning and health? Three key points drawn from the science and the Center on the Developing Child’s recent working paper can help.
We know that adult-child relationships, other early experiences, and environmental
exposures influence child well-being. An increasing number of policies and programs around the world now reflect that understanding by supporting children’s early learning and nutrition to improve their readiness to succeed in school.As scientific knowledge continues to grow, we also know more clearly than ever how the conditions and environments in which children develop affect lifelong health as well as educational achievement.
Three key messages from this science can help guide our thinking in a time when innovation has never been more needed in public systems in order to improve both health and learning.