Center News: Introducing ECD 2.0 [developingchild.harvard.edu]

January 2022

Monthly updates featuring resources, events, and morefrom the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

A Call to Action

Re-Envisioning Early Childhood Policy and Practice in a World of Striking Inequality and Uncertainty

New Science + More Diverse Voices = Greater Impact

As a follower of our Center, you are well aware of three core scientific concepts that have driven increased investments and documented benefits for early childhood policies and services over the past two decades—the impacts of early experiences on brain architecture, the importance of responsive “serve and return” interactions, and the disruptive effects of toxic stress.

As the science of development has continued to move forward, advances in knowledge now inspire us to build on this still powerful “core story” (which we are calling ECD 1.0) and introduce ECD 2.0. Looking ahead and facing the ongoing challenges of a global pandemic, systemic racism and other inequities that undermine healthy development, and massive disruptions of essential services, ECD 2.0 presents a broader framework for aligning cutting-edge science with the lived experiences of families, policymakers, and service providers to build a brighter future for young children facing adversity and the adults who care for them.

Read more

New Guide

Introducing ECD 2.0: A New Framework for Science-Informed Investment in the Early Foundations of Health and Development

The resources in this guide to ECD 2.0 are designed to support the efforts of change agents across a rich diversity of sectors, cultures, geographies, and political perspectives to drive a critical re-envisioning of the early childhood field.

Visit the guide