Analyzing the Parenting Scrapbook

Childhood Development and Technology

The Science of Early Childhood Development

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2007) claims that any society's future hinges on its capacity of fostering the succeeding generation's well-being and health. In a nutshell, the children of today represent tomorrow's workers, citizens, and parents. If present-day adults fall short of providing the young generation with all the requisites needed for developing a strong base for productive, healthy lives, our society's future security and prosperity is jeopardized. Science can offer a lot, in terms of how mankind as a united community can employ collective resources in the most efficient and effective manner possible for developing the aforementioned, sturdy base. A wise investment in families and kids ensures the succeeding generation will reciprocate, via a lifetime of responsible citizenship and productivity. A failure to make wise investments in the initial years will result in us paying the substantial costs of an increasing number of school-going kids requiring special education, as well as an increasing number of unemployable, under-employable, or incarcerated adults.

Core Concepts of Development

The bedrock of economic and community development is child development, since capable kids form the basis of a sustainable, flourishing society. Brain development occurs over time. In fact, interactive genetic influences and the influence of experience shape the developing mind's structure, with its active ingredient being the "serve and return" character of kids' engagement in their relationships with familial (mostly, parents) and community caregivers. The mind's developing abilities as well as architecture are constructed in a bottom-up fashion. Over time, simple skills and circuits offer support to more advanced skills and circuits. Toxic early childhood stress is linked to persistent impacts on stress hormones and one's nervous system, and this may damage the growing brain architecture, leading to lifelong challenges with regard to behavior, learning, and mental as well as physical health. Cultivating the appropriate conditions for development in early childhood will likely be more economical and effective than tackling problems that develop over time (National Council on The Developing Child, 2007).

This image was obtained from the California Department of Public Health website. The reason for choosing it is that it succinctly sums up, without words, the significance of development in the early childhood years, by pointing out that development in childhood is crucial to a child's growth, right from toddlerhood.

The above article - "The Science of Early Childhood" -- was obtained from the California Department of Public Health, a California state department in charge of state public health and a California Health and Human Services subdivision.

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/healthyliving/childfamily/Documents/MO-ECCS-ScienceEarlyChildhoodDev.pdf

Facing the Screen Dilemma: Young Children, Technology, and Early Education

As per the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) (2015), contemporary science corroborates what has been understood by the community of early childhood educators for several years: babies, toddlers, and little children learn by means of exploration using their whole body, and require ample opportunities for direct interactions. Nowadays, however, right from infanthood, children are increasingly spending significant amounts of their time on screen technologies. Research depicts that with more and more time spent by young children on screens, increasingly lesser time remains for creative, hands-on play activities and meaningful interactions with parents, other family members, and caregivers.