Research

Early Experiences, Childcare & Brain Development

A young child's environment directly and permanently influences the structure and eventual function of his or her brain. Everything a child sees, touches, hears, feels, tastes, thinks, and and so on translates into electrical activity, in just a subset of his synapses, tipping the balance for long-term survival in their favor. On the other hand, synapses that are rarely activated-whether because of language never heard, music never made, sports never played, mountains never seen, and love never felt-will wither and die. Lacking adequate electrical activity, they lose the race, and the circuits they were trying to establish-for perfect pitch, an exquisite backhand, a deep reverence for nature, healthy self-esteem-never come to be.
Lise Eliot, PhD

When a baby is born, it has millions of good connections waiting for a specific assignment. As the world makes demands, many of the connections are enlisted for specific jobs: seeing, babbling, remembering, and throwing a ball. Connections that aren't used are eventually pruned. In the absence of the proper stimulation, a brain cell will die, but offer it a diet of enriched experiences and its neural synapses sprout new branches and connections.
John Ratey, M.D., Harvard Professor of Psychiatry.

A one-year-old has twice as many neuronal connections as her mother. After age two or three, the brain starts losing synapses in a process call pruning. They vanish like baby fat, melting away so that neurons that once met at the synapse no longer communicate with one another. The synapses that endure are those that carry traffic; those that melt away are like unused railroad lines, going out of business.
Helen Nevelle, Ph.D. Neuropsychology, Cornell.

Scientists have found that a baby's experiences actually change the physiological development of his brain the quality and quantity of the electrical wiring between cells. And the better they're wired, the better his life will likely be.
Geraldine Dawson, University of Washington Psychologist.

Research now shows that fun, creative early childhood activities, like music and art, strengthen patterns in the brain for later academic tasks such as reading and math.
Jan Westervelt, MA, NYC TeacherCare Director.

That is why your child needs a caregiver that is trained to optimize spontaneous learning during everyday activities. Imagine your child having a caregiver who is aware of the developmental tasks (intellectual, physical, social and emotional) a child must successfully complete before entering the next stage of development; who knows which types of nurturing and stimulation will enhance your child's development; and, who is aware of the best means to help your child realize his or her potential.