The PDG B-5 offers an opportunity for states to improve families’ access to high-quality, affordable early childhood care and education that will support their infants’ and toddlers’ healthy brain development.
We know from science that how we think, learn, communicate, concentrate, problem-solve, and relate to others when we get to school and later in our lives depends in large part on the experiences we have and the skills we develop during the earliest days, months, and years. For this reason, ZERO TO THREE strongly urges states to emphasize the importance of supporting early learning beginning from birth as they plan and implement PDG B-5 strategic plans.
This PowerPoint presentation makes the case for why infants and toddlers should be a critical focus of PDG B-5. It discusses the science of brain development, what happens when babies don’t get a strong start in life, and how the early childhood care and education system can promote babies’ healthy development.