The years before a child enters kindergarten are the focus of the National Research Council's From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, an exhaustive review of recent research into the developing brain.

One of the most striking findings is a lack of meaningful connections between what we know about child development—especially about the importance of stable, strong relationships between very young children and their caregivers—and how our society goes about trying to meet the needs of young children.

"The sense of urgency in the report comes as a result of the committee's careful and dispassionate review of the science, and the changes in the country in the child care area," said Jack P. Shonkoff, chairman of the study committee that released the report, last week. "The science keeps getting better?coming out with the same message—the importance of early relationships. Somehow the country has to come to grips with the fact that this is not just idle talk, and with what it means for children."

Shonkoff called for a nationwide effort to look critically at public investments in childcare and early childhood education, and come up with a plan for bringing policies in line with science. Policies need to recognize that the early years are very important in building a foundation for intelligence, emotional health, and moral development, Shonkoff said. Early education programs need to be grounded in the understanding that how young children feel is as important as how they think, when it comes to measuring school readiness. And recent changes in society have not tended to meet the needs of young children.

"After two and a half years of intensive study, the committee concluded that there is a compelling need for a fundamental re-examination of our society's responses to the needs of young children," said Shonkoff. "This is not about blaming parents, communities, the workplace, or government. This is about sharing responsibility and using scientific knowledge to promote the health and development of all young children."

Research also points to the need for much greater attention to the issue of mental illness in the very young. "This is new news," said Shonkoff, "that a one-year-old can experience depression and trauma. But we have no real mental health system for young children. We have mental health practitioners, but no system of care." The study committee headed by Shonkoff spent two years reviewing the scientific literature of early development. It comprised 17 members with backgrounds in neuroscience, psychology, child development, economics, education, pediatrics, psychiatry, and public policy. The final report was reviewed by 13 anonymous reviewers from around the world. For more information, order a copy from the NAP Web site, or read the report [1] online.