How Early Childhood Experiences Affect Lifelong Health and Learning

How is toxic stress and adversity in early childhood connected to chronic disease in adults? And what can we do about it?

In this animated video, learn what the latest science tells us about how early experiences affect not only early learning and school readiness, but also lifelong health and well-being. Adversities—such as poverty, discrimination, systemic racism, exposure to violence, and child maltreatment, abuse, and neglect—disrupt the healthy development of the brain and many other systems in the body. Many of the most prevalent, chronic, and costly diseases of adulthood—including diabetes, dementia, and cancers—are rooted in young children’s experiences and exposures.

Watch the video to learn how we can use policies and resources to address the sources of these problems and ensure that children live in safe, supportive environments that foster healthy development.

Learn more about how early experiences lay the foundations of lifelong health and well-being in this guide from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/r...

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