Early Experiences Shape Brain Architecture and the Skills We Need to Thrive

“The quality of the interactions and experiences that our communities provide for children either strengthens or undermines children’s development,” said Al Race, Deputy Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, at the Smart Start Leadership Symposium.

Race’s presentation was titled Building a Foundation for Achievement: How Early Experiences Shape Brain Architecture and the Skills We Need to Thrive.

He discussed how research on the developing brain has identified a set of skills that are essential for school achievement, workforce productivity and health. Scientists refer to these capacities as executive function and self-regulation — a set of skills that enable us to hold onto and work with information, focus thinking, filter distractions, plan ahead and adjust to changing circumstances. Children aren’t born with these skills — they are born with the potential to develop them.

Download the PowerPoint Building a Foundation for Achievement.

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