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In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections form every second. After this period of rapid proliferation, connections are reduced through a process called pruning, which allows brain circuits to become more efficient. In light of these findings, focusing on early childhood only makes sense. -Center for the Developing Child, Harvard University- It is no surprise that the early childhood years are portrayed as formative. The supporting structures o

It's time we started holding candidates accountable for improving the care and education of our youngest. This developmental chart from Harvard shows why. Here's an example of a letter you might consider sending. If you need help figuring out who to send it to check here. Dear Candidate, I see that you're running for election in 2026. I'm a parent, grandparent, and early child care and education professional. Even though brain science has proven that the foundation for ever

The easiest way to increase both listening and language in children ages 0-3 is a technique called Floortime (Stanley Greenspan) or supported playtime. It works because it supports individual learning while giving parents and providers a chance to unwind and enjoy their children without the pressure of teaching. It's ironic that this method actually teaches them more. It's used by highly trained experts with children with special needs. When used in this way, it's called DI

The Harvard chart on brain development below illustrates why we should begin intentionally guiding children's emotional development early in life. It also gives us an idea of how to proceed. First through sensory learning, then on to language and eventually to reasoning and other higher-level functions. It's incredible to see how this all starts at birth. Of course, emotional learning continues throughout the lifespan, but neglecting to build a strong foundation early can

It also builds resilience to bullying. Most people want to raise children who are strong, compassionate, and intelligent. During the first few years of life, we have a unique opportunity to develop all three traits by teaching a single, all-encompassing skill. That skill is problem-solving. But how do we teach problem-solving to infants and toddlers? Does anybody know for sure? Science has identified several ways to lay the groundwork for more advanced problem-solving mecha

Since the governor's races are crucial to early child care and education, we thought you'd like to know where your candidates stand on child care. For each major candidate, we searched for (their name) for governor and child care. Then we reported on what their official campaign literature, if any, said and anything else reported on that they said or did for us. Here are the results . Lynne Walz (D) https://lynnewalz.com/about/ After high school, Lynne worked as a caretake

Enjoy this ad-free, post from early childhood rocks! , a non-profit organization that exists to supports early childhood care and education. Nobody likes whining! Not even babies! Occasionally, I see a young child cover their ears when another child cries. Sometimes they call another child a crybaby. That's when I say this: Babies cry a lot. That's because they can't talk. That's the only way they kn ow how to communicate with us. As we g et older, we cry less and less

Since you clicked on my pin, you could be my soulmate. Just read to the bottom of this incredibly short post, and you'll find a gift. I'm looking for people who believe that world peace is possible and that teaching toddlers non-violent problem-solving will bring us closer to it. Is that you? Brain science and social science have proven both points. I've proven it to myself through over 30 years of hands-on work with toddlers. I hold a BS in education and an MA in human dev

In Ghosts From The Nursery  (1997, p. 146), Karr-Morse and Wiley suggest we focus on the period from 10-18 months to prevent violence since that's when foundational connections are made between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic systems. During this time, the child's brain learns to modulate stress. The connections that form lay the groundwork for all future learning. Nothing could be more critical. This chart from Harvard shows how important the earliest months really are.

Change is in the air. The child care crisis is real, and it's devastating. The good news is that, having hit rock bottom, things are now starting to improve for parents, teachers, and the children they care for. It's going to be a process. Throughout that process, we will continue to focus on you, the caregivers. You are the people who are actually providing the care and making the many, many daily decisions that are crucial to the children's growth and development. We hono

Enjoy this ad-free post from early childhood rocks , nonprofit org Some people feel that when a young child mistreats another young child, they need to receive immediate punishment to teach them a lesson. Others think they need to be reasoned with and gently told what the right thing to do is over and over again until it sinks in. But there is another question to consider. Could we teach young children to problem-solve instead? Is that even possible? Problem-Solving Professio

Since the governor's races are crucial to early child care and education, we thought you'd like to know where your candidates stand on child care. For each major candidate, we searched for (their name) for governor and child care. Then we reported on what their official campaign literature, if any, said and anything else reported on that they said or did for us. Here are the results in no particular order: Katie Hobbs (D) https://katiehobbs.org/ That’s why she eliminated t

Jocelyn Benson (D) https://jocelynbenson.com/about/ As an educator and daughter of public school teachers, it’s deeply personal for her to know that every child can receive a world-class education. She also knows the rising costs of taking care of a family, buying a home, putting food on the table, and ensuring access to health care have made it too hard for families to get into the middle class and stay in it. "I want Michigan to be the best place in the country to be a kid,

Are you a US voter who wants to stand up for better child care and education? If so, you're among 70-90% of all voters nationwide. In 2026, gubernatorial elections will be held in 36 states. Let's bring parents, providers, and other stakeholders together to make a change for children.  We need to start raising humans who are strong, intelligent, and caring. Starting early only makes sense. Thirty-six states will hold gubernatorial elections in 2026. At early childhood rocks

Here are 4 candidates, in no particular order. This post will be revised as the race changes. Keisha Lance Bottoms https://www.keishaforgovernor.com/aboutfrom From her official website: Keisha will work to eliminate income taxes for teachers, crack down on corporate landlords that are buying up houses and making it harder for families to buy a home or afford rent, and she will invest in education so our children have better pathways to success through career training or col

It’s easy these days to be acquainted with a lot of people. But how many of those people do we really know?  And how many do we want to know? When asked, most people say that they  prefer a few close friends to many acquaintances.  But when pressed to say how they do it, they usually admit that they find it hard to develop the close lasting friends that we remember from TV sitcoms. Studies* have shown people who ask slightly nosy questions form stronger bonds with others on a

The following candidates are officially in the race for Governor of Wisconsin. We'll try to keep up with changes as they occur. The candidates are listed in no particular order. We tried to include as much information on each candidate's child care ideas as we could find at the time of publication. Josh Schoemann (R) from his official website: https://www.joshschoemann.com/ Wisconsin doesn’t need more politics. We need more neighbors. That means fighting for working families

Here's a popular game that teaches counting, comparison, addition, subtraction, and division  to preschoolers without them knowing it As an advocate of learning through play, I recently interviewed a 5-year-old on the structure of her kindergarten class. Do you get to play a lot, or do you work most of the time? Oh, we only got to play in 4-K . In kindergarten, all we do is work. I HATE math!! I've heard the same description of pre-K and kindergarten activities so many tim

I use this old Russian folk song to teach appreciation and thankfulness to very young children. One day, I asked a group of toddlers and preschoolers what they liked and what made them really happy. I made a list of their heartwarming answers and jotted their names or symbols next to each answer. I posted it in a good spot, and we often sang the song with their answers inserted. The smiles on their faces when they heard their answers incorporated in the song were priceless.

Let's create something new in early care and education. There is a pressing need for high-quality options, especially in infant and toddler care. Since a child's approach to problem-solving and general attitudes toward learning are formed during this time, we must stop treating it as if it doesn't matter. Investing in children and their caregivers during this period holds the most significant potential for societal change. It's been scientifically proven that focusing on the