The National Symposium on Early Childhood Science and Policy was designed to build leadership capacity in the states for developing and implementing science-based policies that enhance children’s learning, behavior, and health. This symposium built on the findings of A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy. State-based teams of legislators, gubernatorial policy advisors, and business and civic leaders joined with world-renowned researchers and Harvard faculty members to learn about recent advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, medicine, and developmental psychology—which together form an integrated science of early childhood development—as well as evidence-based policy implications from four decades of rigorous program evaluation research.

Plenary sessions were organized to address:

• the science of early childhood and its implications for state policies and practices;
• lessons learned from states that have already incorporated science into their policies, including information on outcomes, challenges, and solutions

Building on lessons learned throughout the day, state teams met in small group breakout sessions to engage in peer learning and focus more specifically on the needs in their states, or on specific relevant scientific, programmatic, or policy issues. At the end of the sessions, all state teams reconvened to share the content of their breakout work and discuss next steps.
Download the full event program

(Webcast recordings of select presentations are available below in Windows Media and Quicktime format.)

Overview of Symposium Agenda

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Science of Child Development and the Future of Early Childhood Policy

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., Center on the Developing Child
This presentation provided a brief overview of the impact of early experience on brain development, focusing on what the brain needs to develop sturdy architecture, how toxic stress can lead to disrupted neural circuits, and why sensitive periods are important. Participants were invited to think about how we can move from building and sustaining state-of-the-art programs to craft a new era in early childhood policy driven by three core features: (1) science-based evidence; (2) bipartisanship; and (3) public-private partnerships.
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View webcast (Windows Media format - 73 minutes)
View webcast (Quicktime format - 73 minutes)

Lessons Learned from Public-Private Partnerships

Daniel Pedersen, Buffett Early Childhood Fund
George B. Kaiser, George Kaiser Family Foundation
The presenters discussed how private initiatives can leverage public investment and outcome-based approaches can enhance the impacts of public-private collaboration.
View webcast (Windows Media format - 46 minutes)
View webcast (Quicktime format - 46 minutes)

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Friday, June 27, 2008

The Impact of Early Adversity on Brain Development

Megan R. Gunnar, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Pat R. Levitt, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Charles A. Nelson, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston
These concurrent sessions provided a more in-depth look at the influence of significant stress in the early years of life on brain architecture and its implications for emotional development, social competence, and mental health as building blocks for school achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, and healthy communities.
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View webcast of Pat Levitt's presentation (Windows Media format - 72 minutes)
View webcast of Pat Levitt's presentation (Quicktime format - 72 minutes)

What Research Tells us About Early Childhood Program Effectiveness

Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D., Columbia University
Katherine Magnuson, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Ph.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education
These concurrent sessions provided an overview of existing evidence about the characteristics of early childhood programs that provide positive returns on investment and those that are ineffective, and addressed the critical importance of program quality, particularly in the face of taking successful programs to scale. Policymakers heard about the essential lessons that can be drawn from decades of program evaluation research to inform their decision-making.
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View webcast of Hirokazu Yoshikawa's presentation (Windows Media format - 44 minutes)
View webcast of Hirokazu Yoshikawa's presentation (Quicktime format - 44 minutes)

Improving Quality in Early Childhood Programs

Charles J. Homer, M.D., M.P.H., National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality and Harvard School of Public Health
This session provided an overview of the science of quality improvement as applied to the delivery of early childhood services, including the effective use of measurement strategies.
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View webcast (Windows Media format - 44 minutes)
View webcast (Quicktime format - 44 minutes)

Delivering High-Value Services to Vulnerable Children

Richard G. Frank, Ph.D., and Ellen R. Meara, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
This session examined the complicated relation between cost and quality in health care and early childhood systems, and explored the quest to maximize value through enhancing service quality while controlling its costs.
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View webcast (Windows Media format - 42 minutes)
View webcast (Quicktime format - 42 minutes)

Learning from State Experience: Executive and Legislative Perspectives

Steffanie Clothier, National Conference of State Legislatures
Sarah Daily, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
Janice Gruendel, Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor, Children & Youth (CT)
Don Harmon, State Senator (IL)
Ruth Kagi, State Representative (WA)
State leaders described state experience and lessons learned with policy initiatives aimed at early childhood development and early learning.
View webcast (Windows Media format - 49 minutes)
View webcast (Quicktime format - 49 minutes)