Editor’s note — In conjunction with the work of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Child Care Solutions committee, the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun will be running articles on early childcare or profiles of early childcare providers to continue to reiterate the importance of child care in our community and the providers who work in the profession.
Babies are adorable, but did you know that they are also endowed at birth with all the brain cells that they will have for their entire lives?
Babies’ brains grow through the process of interacting with their environment and developing connections between brain cells known as neurons. As babies feel, hear, see, and move through daily caregiving interactions with nurturing adults their brains actively make sense of the world by forming connections between neurons.
Research has shown us that the most sensitive period for a child’s developing brain is the first three years of life. During this time period the brain continues to form interconnections between neurons in response to the infant’s and young child’s interactions with people and the environment. Literally 90% of brain development occurs before kindergarten.
Because we know that brain development is a result of the young child’s interaction with the environment, we have a key to understanding what we can do to foster optimal brain development in infants and young children.
Providing a safe, stable, stimulating, and loving environment with responsive adults is essential to healthy brain development. Parents, family members, child care providers, and teachers who give attention, respond, and interact with their child are literally building the child’s brain.