A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Foreword

In 1997, President Clinton and the First Lady hosted the White House conference on Early Childhood Development and Learning: What New Research on the Brain Tells Us about Our Youngest Children. What we learned from the research presented was astounding.

The conference moderator was Dr. David Hamburg of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The presenters included Dr. Carla Shatz, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Donald Cohen, Yale Child Study Center; Dr. Patricia Kuhl, University of Washington; Dr. Ezra Davidson, Drew University of Medicine; Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, Harvard University; and Dr. Deborah Phillips, National Research Council.

Each of these individuals emphasized the importance of children?s earliest experiences in helping them to get a strong and healthy start. For the first time, we saw the intricacies of the infant?s brain taking shape and how rapidly that happens. This served to reinforce our beliefs about the importance of early experiences in promoting development and learning. We also saw that many activities that parents currently engage in, such as singing, talking, and reading to babies and children, improve children?s ability to learn and develop throughout their lives.

The insights reported at the White House conference resulted from decades of systematic inquiry. They emerged from questions pursued by scientists and scholars and from the experiences of parents and others who have spent their days with children and families. The purpose of this inquiry was not simply to accumulate knowledge but to reach a deep understanding of how children grow and how families, communities, and the nation as a whole can contribute to the next generation?s healthy development and learning.

The White House conference is an important part of the Clinton Administration?s investment in children and families. In addition to research, this investment includes increased funding for proven programs, such as Head Start and the WIC Supplemental Nutrition Program. Over the past four years, for example, the Administration has raised funding for Head Start by 43 percent. In addition, the Administration has created the Early Head Start program to support low-income families with children ages zero to three by providing comprehensive education, health services, and nutrition.

The White House conference is a call to action to all members of society — including health care providers, businesses, the media, faith communities, child care providers, and government ? to use this vital research to strengthen America?s families. I hope you will find this report of the conference useful as you pursue this goal.

Richard W. Riley

[Title Page]

[Introduction]