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Early Childhood Development and Care

As a mother feeds her child, she looks lovingly into his eyes. A father talks softly to his newborn daughter as he changes her diaper. A caregiver sings a child to sleep.

Adapted from the national "I Am Your Child" Campaign by:

Robyn Brown
Beverly Roberson Jackson, Ed.D.
District of Columbia Head Start -  State Collaborative Project

These simple everyday moments of love and caring provide needed nourishment. Science now tells us that a baby needs these loving experiences to grow a healthy brain. At birth, a baby's brain has 100 billion nerve cells or neurons. These neurons will grow and connect with other neurons to control thinking, seeing, hearing, moving, and showing emotion. These connections are made by repeated loving, caring experiences. They provide the basis for how the brain will work throughout life. If a child does not have these loving and caring experiences, then connections can’t happen. Some brain development may be lost forever.

How can parents and caregivers make a difference?

Families and caregivers are critical to a baby's development. The new findings on brain development explain how the people in children’s lives help to shape their future. Every person who cares for a baby-- parents, family, friends, teachers, and childcare providers--can help in brain development.

Good health and safety come first in a baby’s life.

Babies need to have parents who don’t expose them to smoke, alcohol or drugs before birth.

After birth children need to be well fed, with mother's breast milk first, if possible.

Children need to see a doctor for regular check ups and shots.

A doctor or nurse should be called
--when a child is sick,
--if a child’s skin is very warm and very dry for hours, or
--if a child vomits a lot in an hour.

Places where young children play should be safe and clean.

Babies must be placed in the back seat of the car in a car seat, and the car seat must be held in place by a seat belt.

There are eight guidelines to help parents and other caregivers raise children who are ready to learn.

1. Be warm, loving and pay attention to their needs.
2. Respond to the child’s cues.
3. Talk, read, and sing your child.
4. Have a set routine.
5. Encourage safety when your child is at play.
6. Limit TV watching.
7. Use positive guidance as a way to teach.
8. Choose quality childcare and stay involved.

Be warm, loving and responsive to their needs.

When children get warm and loving care, they feel safe and secure with their families and caregivers. This means the child has "secure attachments". Secure attachments are the beginning of every future relationship a person will have. Children respond to love and care. Secure attachments determine how the child’s brain will grow and develop.

If I just love my child, will that affect the brain?

Yes. Loving your child is important. How you pay attention to and touch your baby or the baby in your care makes a difference in brain development. By rocking, talking, touching, singing, and smiling you make a difference. These responses shape the learning and behavior of your children. Children learn about the world through their senses.

They feel, smell, taste, hear, see. It is important for parents and caregivers to respond to children by rocking, talking, touching, singing and smiling. When you look into the baby’s eyes, the baby sees the look on your face. The baby hears the singing, reading, talking and cooing. Babies feel you holding or rocking them. Babies take in your familiar smells. Touch is important. Holding and cuddling will help the brain release important hormones that help a child grow.

Respond to the child’s cues.

Babies can't use words to tell us about their moods, wants, or needs. They send many signals to the adults who care for them. Watch the way they move. Watch the looks on their faces. Babies make (or avoid) eye contact to provide cues. Children become securely attached when parents and other caregivers learn to read these cues and give a caring response.

Won't my newborn get spoiled with all of this attention?

Newborns can’t be spoiled. Studies show that newborns that have their crying answered quickly and warmly learn to cry much less and sleep more at night. Remember that newborns have just come from a warm, snug place. They could hear and feel the rhythmic beating of their mother’s heart. Before birth they were never hungry or cold. Before birth, everything was taken care of by the mother’s body. Baby was fed when hungry, and rocked when restless.

After birth, the baby needs caring attention.  When the baby is hungry or upset, the brain responds and the baby express feelings by crying. When you provide food, warmth, or comfort the baby becomes calm. The stress-response systems in the brain are are turned off. The baby’s brain begins to create the networks of brain cells that calm and soothe. You can never spoil a newborn baby.

Talk, read, and sing to your child.

Make up stories and songs and talk to your baby about places and people that they know. You may not know it, but these conversations will give your child a solid foundation for learning and development.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St., N.W. has a "Parent Resource Room" with books and videotapes. Call the Resource Room at (202) 727-1248 for advice on the kinds of books available for your baby.

Have a set routine.

One toddler knows it is time for sleep. His mom sings and closes the curtains during naptime. Another toddler knows it is time for Daddy to pick her up. Her childcare provider gives her juice and crackers. Routines, or an activities that are repeated at about the same time every day, are important. They provide a sense of security for babies and young children. When a child gets good responses from parents and caregivers on a regular basis, the child’s brain responds. Those good feelings give the child a sense of self-confidence and security. Once children feel safe, they will begin to explore the world around them. Children who get good responses on a regular basis from others have been found to do better in school and in later life.

Encourage safety when your child is at play.

Play is an important part of learning for children. Play helps the brain to develop. Children should have a safe place to play. It should be free of danger and germs and a grown up should be watching the children

If you think that playground equipment is not clean, clean it yourself. Use a mixture of bleach and water or Lysol and water (check with your doctor). Your child needs a clean safe place to play outdoors. Go to parks with friends. Share the task of watching babies at play. Play is an important part of learning.

Watch TV with your child.

Parents should limit the time children spend in front of the television. Some shows can be positive. Simple shows may scare children. Simple ideas in shows can scare children or affect the moral choices they make. Sometimes these choices are different from the ones you would like your child to make. Moral development, choice of right and wrong, starts with a baby watching others. Don't use television as a babysitter.

Use positive guidance as a way to teach.

As babies grow, they begin to explore and experiment, and often express very strong feelings. Young children need firm but positive adult supervision. The discipline that babies get should teach, not hurt. Hurting a baby teaches that adults hurt babies. Hurting a baby teaches that hurting others is OK. This can be a lifelong lesson.

How can I discipline my young child?

Don't expect babies and young children to do what you say all of the time. Young children do things for no reason. They will hit, yell or fall apart at times because. Their feelings of sadness and anger are often too strong to control. Babies begin to learn self-control when they begin to soothe themselves. They learn to fall asleep on their own and begin to calm themselves with a little assistance from caregivers. Babies learn as their brains grow. It takes time. It also takes a lot of patience and caring responses between you and your child for him/her to understand the difference between right and wrong. It is normal for children to break or change a rule. Respond to their actions in a firm and caring way. You can show that you care what happens to them. You can show that you care what happens to them. You are helping children to feel safe in the world.

NEVER HIT OR SHAKE YOUR BABY

Brain research shows that these forms of "discipline" can have a long-term bad effect on babies and young children. Discipline is about learning. The only things a young child can lean from being hit are fear, sadness, and anger. Children will begin to feel that violence is not bad.

The behavior is bad, not the child.

Be firm with your child even though it may create some bad feelings between you and your child. Children feel upset when you don’t like their actions. You may feel you have made too much out of your child’s actions or disciplined your child in a way that you wish you hadn’t. Remember that you can tell them that you were angry with the behavior, angry at their choices. Assure them that you love them. Each child has a different personality. One child may like to talk and be social, while her brother may be shy and very quiet. Children also grow at different rates. Begin to see your child as special and one of a kind.

How can I help my children feel good about themselves?

When children go through the challenges of everyday life successfully, they feel good about themselves. Particularly when you recognize the great things they do with positive comments such as 

You climbed those stairs all by yourself!

You fed yourself!

Choose quality childcare and stay involved.

Choosing a good childcare provider is important. (See COG's "Locating Child Care in the Washington Metropolitan Area.")   Early care and education will give your child a head start in success. Visit child care centers. Watch how the caregivers act with the babies and children in their care.

What should we look for in a childcare setting?

Look for a provider who responds warmly to all babies needs.

Look for someone who cares about children.

Look for someone who knows about and is eager to help with your baby’s development

Look for someone who gives children individual attention.

Look for someone who keeps babies involved in the learning process.

After choosing your child care provider, become an active parent. Drop in without calling ahead every once in a while, this way, you can see what your child's world is like during the day. Ask for a daily or weekly progress report on your child. Good childcare providers will offer suggestions on how to better your child's learning experiences both at home and in care. Studies show that children do better in school when their families have been a part of their early care and education.

Take care of yourself. Parents and caregivers need care, too. Taking care of our children is the most important, most wonderful and often the most challenging job in our society. Because you provide the primary environments for infants and young children, your health and welfare are extremely important. When you are tired, withdrawn, unhappy, sad, or find that you have too much going on in your life, you will probably have a harder time meeting the needs of your children.

When you feel like you are doing too much at one time, remember to take some time out for yourself. Reach out and get some help. Family friends, neighbors, doctors, child care providers, and others can assist you. You want to continue to help your child’s development and school readiness. We need to work together as a community of caregivers. We can help each child to reach his or her full potential.

The first years truly last forever.

THANKS TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING REVIEWERS:

Madelyn Andrews, Public Information Office, Department of Human Services (DHS)
Bobbi Blok, Washington, D.C. I Am Your Child Co-Chair
Kerrie Brown, Head Start Intern
Dr. Kellene Bruce, Office of Early Childhood Development
CSS/DHS
Barbara Ferguson Kamara, Executive Director, Office of Early Childhood Development/CSS/DHS
Maria Salvadore and staff of the D. C. Public Library

Thanks to the Reiner Foundation and the I Am Your Child Campaign for granting permission to include the "I Am Your Child" logo and modified excerpts from " The First Years Last Forever."   Contact Elizabeth Spencer at (310) 285-2385 for more information on the national campaign.