Core Story_Grindal Montana you (1).pdf

1. **Child Development and Psychology**
Understanding developmental milestones and psychological stages in early childhood helps teachers support students effectively.(ppt)

1. The Science of Early Childhood
Development: Lessons for Policy and
Practice
TODD GRINDAL ED. D
Abt Associates
Julius B. Richmond Dissertation Fellow, Center on the Developing Child at
Harvard University

[email protected]

2. The Foundation of a Successful Society
is Built in Early Childhood

3. Experiences Build Brain Architecture

4. birth 6 years 14 years
Experience Shapes Brain Architecture by
Over-Production Followed by Pruning
(700 synapses formed per second in the early years)

5. Neural Circuits are Wired in a
Bottom-Up Sequence

FIRST YEAR
-8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Birth (Months) (Years)
Sensory Pathways
(Vision, Hearing)
Language
Higher Cognitive Function
Source: Nelson (2000)

6. The Ability to Change Brains
Decreases Over Time

Source: Levitt (2009)

Birth 10 20 30
Physiological “Effort” Required
to Enhance Neural
Connections
Normal Brain Plasticity
Influenced by
Experience
Age (Years)
40 50 60 70

7. Interactions Shape Brain Circuitry

8. Brains and Skills are Shaped by
the “Serve and Return”
Nature of Human Interaction

9. Language environment impacts children ’s
language development
16 mos. 24 mos. 36 mos.
Cumulative Vocabulary (Words)

College Educated
Parents
Working Class
Parents
Welfare
Parents
Child’s Age (Months)
200
600
1200
Source: Hart & Risley (1995)

10. Early Experiences Alter Gene
Expression and Shape Development
Neuron

11. Genes Carry Instructions that Tell
Our Bodies How to Work
Nucleus
Chromosome
DNA
Gene

12. Early Experiences Leave Lasting
Chemical “Signatures” on Genes
External
Experience
Gene
Regulatory
Proteins
Epigenetic
“Signature”
Turns Gene
On or Off

13. Example 1:
Early Experience Affects Differences
in Adult Anxiety in Mice
Source: Gross & Hen, 2004
High care
Low care
Low
High

14. Early Life Experiences Are Built Into Our
Bodies (For Better or For Worse)
.

15. Toxic
Prolonged activation of stress response systems
in the absence of protective relationships.
Three Levels of Stress Response
Tolerable
Serious, temporary stress responses,
buffered by supportive relationships.
Positive
Brief increases in heart rate,
mild elevations in stress hormone levels.

16. Source: C.A. Nelson (2008); Marshall, Fox & BEIP (2004)
Extreme Neglect Positive Relationships
Severe Neglect Affects Brain Power

17. Significant Adversity Impairs Development
in the First Three Years
Number of Risk Factors

Source: Barth, et al. (2008)
Children with
Developmental Delays

1-2 3 5 4 6 7
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
17

18. Example 1:
Risk Factors for Adult Heart Disease are
Embedded in Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Experiences
Source: Dong, et al. (2004)
Odds Ratio

0 1 2 3 4 5,6 7,8
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5

19. Example 3:
Early Abuse Affects Later Behavior
Source: Pollak & Kistler (2002)

20. Profound Neglect
Impairs Physical Growth
Source: Johnson et al. (2000)

21. What does this tell of us about early
childhood policy and programs?
.

22. 22
Children randomly assigned to leave the
institution and be placed and high quality
foster care environment
Children placed in foster care before age 2 appear to
catch up with typical children on measures of cognitive
development
These children had lower rates of ADHD, disruptive
behaviors, and depression when compared to children
who stayed in the institution

As a result of this study,
•The Romanian government passed a law forbidding the
institutionalization of non-handicapped children under
age 2.
•Over 27,000 foster homes have been created.

Bucharest Early Intervention Project

23. 23
Head Start closes one-third of the gap
between median and low income family
income on a summary of young adult
outcomes:

High school graduation
College attendance
Idleness (not in high school, no wages)
Crime
Teen parenthood
Health status
Long-term effects of Head Start
Source: Deming, 2009

24. 24
Chicago Child-Parent Center (2004)
•Children who did not receive a strong
education from PK through 3
rd
grade were
three times more likely to be held back and
more likely to be placed in special education
than those who had a strong PK-3 foundation.
Preparing to Succeed-Boston (2011)
• Attending preschool erased the Latino/white
test score gap and significant reduced the
African American/White test score gap



Preschools in the Public Schools
Source: Reynolds, et al., 2004

25. 25



The impact of attending high quality early
childhood education can be observed nearly four
decades later

26. 26
Source: Heckman, 2006 p.1902
Rates of return to human capital investment

27. 27
36 months: Adjusted means for child outcome by quality
Source: NICHD ECCRN, 2000 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Reynell Verbal
Comprehension
Bracken School Readiness
Low Quality
Low/Average Quality
High/Average Quality
High Quality
Exclusive Maternal Care
Adjusted means

28. 28
The best of what we do is still not good enough

29. To Individuals
To Society
$6.60-
$9.20
$2
$6
$8
$4
$10
Increased earnings
Crime costs, special
education and welfare
savings, increased
income taxes paid

$4.10
Abecedarian
Project
(through age 21)
Perry Preschool
(through age 40)
Total Return per
$1 Invested
Sources: Masse & Barnett (2002) Heckman et al. (2009)
The economic impact of attending a high quality
early childhood education program

30. The best of what we do, is not yet good enough.

31. 31
Program Evaluation Research Helps
Identify Effectiveness Factors
Not all programs are effective.
Effectiveness factors are key to distinguishing
those programs that work from those that do not.
Our goal: to provide clearer guidance than the
usual calls for “quality.”

Source: Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2007)

32. 32
Effectiveness Factors for
Early Care and Education Programs
• Skilled and well-compensated personnel
• Small group sizes and high adult-child ratios
• Language-rich environment
• Developmentally appropriate “curriculum”
• Safe physical setting
• Warm and responsive adult-child interactions
Source: Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2007)

33. 33
Effectiveness Factors for Parenting Education
Programs:
Parenting education with modeling and/or opportunities for practice
33 0.37
0.39
0.13
0.25
0.14
0.07
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Child cognitive skillsChild pre-academic
skills
Parent warmth &
responsiveness
ECE programs that
did provide
parenting
education with
modeling
ECE programs that
did not provide
parenting
education with
modeling
Grindal et. al. (under review)

34. 34
Four Targets for Professional Development
Source: U.S. Department of Education (2010)

Institutional/
Organizational
Practices
Classroom/Grou
p Setting Quality
Educator Education, ECE
Training,
Well-Being
Practices Related to
Specific Child
Outcomes

35. 35
Sources of Toxic
Stress
Supportive Relationships,
Stimulating Experiences, and
Health-Promoting Environments
Healthy Developmental
Trajectory
Delayed Development
Current Conceptual Framework for Early
Childhood Policy and Practice

36. 36
Protective
Interventions
Designing an Enhanced Framework that
Balances Enrichment and Protection
Sources of Toxic
Stress
Healthy Developmental
Trajectory
Supportive Relationships,
Stimulating Experiences, and
Health-Promoting Environments

37. 37
An Integrated, Science-Based Logic Model
Could Inform More Effective
Early Childhood Policies and Programs
Source: Center on the Developing Child (2010)
Health &
Development
Across the
Lifespan
Preconception
Prenatal
Early
Childhood
Middle
Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Biological
Adaptations or
Disruptions
Foundations of
Healthy
Development
Caregiver &
Community
Capacities
Policy &
Program
Levers for
Innovation

38. www.developingchild.harvard.edu