How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media.

How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues.

The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more.

Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON INTEGRATING THE SCIENCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
• BOARD ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
  • PUTTING THE STUDY IN CONTEXT
  • THE COMMITTEE'S CHARGE
  • CORE CONCEPTS OF DEVELOPMENT
  • POLICY AND PRACTICE
  • RESEARCH AND EVALUATION
  • CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
• I. Setting the Stage
  • 1. Introduction
    • CORE CONCEPTS
    • SCOPE OF THE STUDY
    • PLACING THE STUDY IN CONTEXT
    • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
  • 2. Rethinking Nature and Nurture
    • DEVELOPMENTAL BEHAVIORAL GENETICS
    • MOLECULAR GENETICS
    • BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
    • CONCLUSION
  • 3. The Challenge of Studying Culture
    • THE SPECIAL CONTEXT OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PERIOD
    • CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE UNITED STATES
    • DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
    • CULTURALLY COMPETENT POLICIES AND SERVICE DELIVERY
    • EVOLVING PERSPECTIVES ON THE STUDY OF CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT
    • CONCLUSIONS
  • 4. Making Causal Connections
    • CAUSAL INFERENCE IN BASIC RESEARCH
    • CAUSAL INFERENCE IN APPLIED RESEARCH
    • CAUSAL GENERALIZATION
    • CAUSAL INFERENCE AND GROWING CHILDREN
    • CONCLUSIONS
• II. The Nature and Tasks of Early Development
  • 5. Acquiring Self-Regulation
    • EARLY REGULATORY TASKS
    • UNDERSTANDING AND REGULATING EMOTIONS
    • REGULATION OF ATTENTION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • 6. Communicating and Learning
    • LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND COMMUNICATION
    • THINKING AND LEARNING DURING EARLY CHILDHOOD
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • 7. Making Friends and Getting Along with Peers
    • PLAY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEER RELATIONS
    • HOW DO ADULTS HELP?
    • THE CONTRIBUTION OF TEMPERAMENT
    • IMPACT OF DISABILITY ON PEER INTERACTIONS
    • EARLY CONDUCT PROBLEMS
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • 8. The Developing Brain
    • STUDYING THE DEVELOPING BRAIN
    • WHAT DEVELOPS IN EARLY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT?
    • HOW THE BRAIN IS AFFECTED BY EARLY EXPERIENCE
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
• III. The Context for Early Development
  • 9. Nurturing Relationships
    • INTRODUCTION
    • ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIPS
    • BEYOND ATTACHMENT SECURITY
    • DISRUPTIONS IN PARENTING
    • EFFORTS TO IMPROVE PARENTING
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • 10. Family Resources
    • DO RESOURCES MATTER FOR CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT?
    • INFLUENCES ON YOUNG CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • 11. Growing Up in Child Care
    • WHAT IS CHILD CARE?
    • ENTRY INTO CHILD CARE
    • THE EFFECTS OF CHILD CARE
    • WHAT IS QUALITY CHILD CARE?
    • THE DISTRIBUTION AND COST OF QUALITY CARE
    • CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AND CHILD CARE
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • 12. Neighborhood and Community
    • WHY NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY CONDITIONS MAY MATTER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
    • ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
    • EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE ON NEIGHBORHOOD EFFECTS
    • SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • 13. Promoting Healthy Development Through Intervention
    • CONCEPTS OF INTERVENTION AND THEORIES OF CHANGE
    • EMPIRICAL FINDINGS, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, AND CURRENT PRACTICE
    • ASSESSING DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES AND MEDIATORS
    • ASSESSING FAMILY MEDIATORS OF CHILD WELL-BEING
    • LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE CHALLENGES
    • CONCLUSIONS
• IV. Knowledge into Action
  • 14. Conclusions and Recommendations
    • POLICY AND PRACTICE
    • RESEARCH AND EVALUATION
    • THE CHALLENGE OF EDUCATING THE PUBLIC
    • CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
• References
• A Related Reports from the National Academies
• B Defining and Estimating Causal Effects
• C Technologies for Studying the Developing Human Brain
• D Biographical Sketches

The study was supported by funds provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Office of Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Nursing Research, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, the Administration for Children and Families, the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education, The Commonwealth Fund, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, the Irving B. Harris Foundation, and National Academies funds. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2000) From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.