Prioritizing investments in early childhood is supported by brain development research, which shows a child’s earliest months and years — even before birth — are a key window of both opportunity and vulnerability, according to Elisabeth Wright Burak, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families.

“In their earliest years, children’s brains are forming millions of new connections every second,” she said. “Nurturing relationships with parents and caregivers are essential to strong healthy development.”

Investments in home visiting, mental health services, and better access to affordable health coverage make up the foundation on which that kind of brain development rests, she added. Programs that support parents’ role in their child’s development, such as home visiting, have a strong and growing evidence base, she added.

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