Leveraging Developmental Insights to Improve Early Childhood Education

Abstract Public investments in early childhood education have increased sharply over the past three decades. Nonetheless, many children in the United States do not have access to high-quality early education settings and large sociodemographic gaps in children's early learning remain. In this article, we argue that to address these issues, early learning policies must not only invest more in children's earliest years, but invest smarter. We describe three insights from developmental science and provide evidence that the current system of supports for early learning is at odds with what we now know about when and how children develop. We end with recommendations for anchoring early childhood policy and practice in developmental science, and improving children's interactions and learning experiences in their first years of life.