Early Childhood Development and Skills across the Life-Course through the Lens of the Developing Brain
Human development and development are inseparable, and now new evidence emerges that brain development is the key driving mechanism behind this association. The foundations of brain architecture are established early in life. Critical aspects of it...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2016
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2016/05/26354763/early-childhood-development-skills-across-life-course-through-lens-developing-brain http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24382 |
| Summary: | Human development and development are
inseparable, and now new evidence emerges that brain
development is the key driving mechanism behind this
association. The foundations of brain architecture are
established early in life. Critical aspects of its structure
begin to be shaped by experience before and soon after
birth. The current report discusses brain development from a
life-course perspective with a particular emphasis on early
childhood development (ECD), skills formation, resilience,
and aging. There is mounting evidence that early and
sustained investments in brain development have economic and
social returns that can benefit current and future
generations. This paper synthesizes knowledge across
multiple disciplines and is weighted towards findings from
brain sciences to encourage a new perspective on human
development initiatives among policy makers and
international development practitioners. The report
discusses the role of social policies in shaping brain
function and structure. The policy-relevant findings from
brain sciences research can greatly enhance the ability to
carry out cost-effective policies that foster human
development over the life-course, eliminate extreme poverty,
and improve shared prosperity. |
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