Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University | Policy/Trends

URL: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/

Early childhood is a time of both great promise and considerable risk. Assuring the availability of responsive relationships, growth promoting experiences, and healthy environments for all young children helps build sturdy brain architecture and the foundations of resilience.

• Brain Hero
  In 2009, the Center launched a collaboration with the Interactive Media Division of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California to develop and test new ways of communicating the science of early childhood development using interactive media. The “Brain Hero” video, depicting how actions by a range of people in the family and community impact child development, is the first product of this collaboration. This 3-minute video adapts the visual sensibility of interactive game models to a video format.
• Interactive Features: Key Concepts in the science of early childhood development made simple
  These Web-based interactive features describe and explain key concepts in the science of early childhood development and early childhood program evaluation research. Using an easy-to-follow slideshow format, these features illustrate core scientific concepts as how early experiences shape brain architecture, the importance of early childhood to the learning, behavior, and health of later life, as well as the relevance of program evaluation research to policy decisions.