Why Early Childhood Investment Matters Welcoming Remarks

Jason Eberhart-Phillips, MD, MPH Kansas State Health Officer Kansas Birth to Five Administrator’s Conference September 29, 2009

Brains are Built on Early Experiences

• Neural growth is unbelievably rapid in young kids – 700 new neural connections every second!

– Sensory pathways peak first, then early language and higher cognitive functions • But developmental gaps start to emerge early

Brain Growth Thrives on Interaction

• Normal brain development depends on a ‘serve and return’ relationship with loving caregivers – Young children reach out, interact with adults through babbling, facial expressions and gestures – Adults respond with similar vocalizing and gesturing • When this is absent, or it is unreliable or inappropriate, the brain’s architecture doesn’t form properly ─ Disparities in learning ─ Problems with behavior

The Brain’s Capacity for Change

• This capacity is lifelong, but it decreases with age – The brain is most flexible or ‘plastic’ early in life – With time the wiring is less capable of reorganizing, of adapting to new or unexpected challenges – As we age it takes more effort to think in new ways • Early plasticity means it is easier to influence a baby’s developing brain than to rewire circuits later in life

It’s All One in the Developing Brain

• Social, emotional, cognitive capabilities are intertwined – The brain is a highly integrated organ – Emotional well-being, social competence and emerging cognitive abilities are all highly inter-related – And each aspect depends on the others for the growth of healthy neural architecture • Early adversity disrupts this

The Lasting Effects of Early Adversity

• As adverse events pile up, so does the risk of lifelong disease – both physical and mental • Five or more early childhood adverse factors – Increase the risk of adult heart disease 2-fold – Increase the risk of adult depression 5-fold • Similar impacts on alcoholism and drug abuse Adult Depression

Adult Depression Adult Heart Disease

Stress and the Developing Brain

• The body’s stress response is life-preserving – But it was never meant to be activated continuously • Stress hormones are helpful in the short-term – But chronically they damage the developing brain – They disrupt circuits in the hippocampus, destroying brain cells • Chronic stress in early childhood – without the buffering protection of adult support – is toxic to the developing brain

Three Kinds of Stress

• Positive Stress – part of everyday life – First day at childcare, being told you have to nap • Tolerable Stress – serious but temporary – An illness, or a disaster, with an adult seeing it through • Toxic Stress – the stress response is always on

Early Experience is Built into Us

• For better or worse, unrelenting toxic stress from risk factors such as – Recurrent child abuse – Chronic neglect – Family violence – Paternal substance abuse – Severe maternal depression – Extreme poverty • Leads to disruptions in learning and memory, as well as health-damaging behaviors and adult lifestyles that undermine health and well-being

Keys to Healthy Brain Development

• Supportive adult relationships – Doesn’t have to be parents • Positive learning experiences – Should balance emotional, social, cognitive and language development – We

can

make up for deficiencies in the home environment • Rapid responses for children and families who face multiple adverse risk factors

Policy Implications

• As a society, we have to give much more attention to early childhood – Better pay, more support for early childhood professionals – A more skilled workforce with the needed expertise to counter effects of adversity – More investment in science, in best practices – a stronger emphasis on quality • There is ample $ to do this!

The Returns on Investment are Huge

• The science of brain development makes a moral case for action unavoidable, but investment in early childhood programs also wise economically – Early childhood adversity is costly to society – Costs include lower earnings throughout life, a higher propensity to commit crime, much poorer health – These are expensive • Supporting families yields enormous returns on each dollar invested ─ Taking advantage of their brain plasticity

How We are Getting to Our Goal

• Strong, visionary, relentless advocacy for early childhood issues through KDHE, KSDE and their partners statewide – Creative, science-based problem solving in a time of constrained resources – Willingness to take risks, take a stand, build new coalitions – Reaching out to private sector partners who care about kids – Appeals to those in positions of power for a lasting legacy

Thank You For Listening!

To Protect the Health and Environment of all Kansans by Promoting Responsible Choices

www.kdheks.gov