It's time to lift up parents, early childhood teachers, grandparents, nannies, and health care providers who care for children during their first few years of life. During that critical period of brain development, a person's approach to life is shaped.

That's not a window of time we can afford to neglect. Early intervention programs do exist for children at risk, but what about basic support for everyone else?

Why isn't there a book of operating instructions for infants that explains, in simple terms, what we know about brain development and how that translates into babies' daily experiences?

If such a book existed, would people actually discover it and read it? Or would it be lost in the cacophony of information we live in today?

At Early Childhood Rocks, a nonprofit organization, our mission is to change the world through early childhood education, and we are working to close the gap between what science knows about early childhood brain development and what actually happens to infants and toddlers in real life.

We've already created the Baby Brain Toolkit, an interactive eBook that highlights 4 Pillars of Support that can be easily incorporated into the lives of infants, toddlers, and their caregivers everywhere. Citations for the research used are included. You can view it here.

The 4 Pillars of Support

• Serve and Return

• Read and Reflect

• Play and Learn

• Boundaries

Now for the grand finale! We're creating a book to put into the hands of all early childhood caregivers that helps everyone, from babysitters to physicians, focus on the 4 pillars of support while having fun interacting with babies.

This book is entirely different than most developmental guides because it is designed to be read TO infants, toddlers, and preschoolers by their trusted caregivers, and it's designed to be read repeatedly, not just once or twice.

If you understand anything about brain development, you know why repetition is a good idea, and how close interaction with a trusted caregiver helps the brain develop.

If you want to be in the small group of people who get a free copy of this book as soon as it's finished and also get a few sneak peeks along the way, join our community of birth-3 supporters here. Do it now; it's quick, it's free, and you probably won't see this invitation again.

Nanci J  . Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and an all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY!  She studied early childhood ed at Triton College and earned her BS in education from NIU in 1986. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She lives and teaches in Madison, WI, and founded Early Childhood Rocks, a nonprofit org dedicated to creating change through early childhood education.