Safety, Health, and Nutrition in Early Childhood Education

Summary: Evidence shows that experiences in childhood are extremely important for a child’s healthy development and lifelong learning. How a child develops during this time affects future cognitive, social, emotional, language, and physical development, which in turn influences school readiness and later success in life. Research on a number of adult health and medical conditions points to pre-disease pathways that have their beginnings in early and middle childhood. During early childhood, the human brain grows to 90 percent of its adult size by age 3. Early childhood represents the period when young children reach developmental milestones that include: • Emotional regulation and attachment • Language development • Cognitive development • Physical development (motor skills) All of these milestones can be significantly delayed when young children experience inadequate caregiving, environmental stressors, and other negative risk factors. These stressors and factors can affect the brain and may seriously compromise a child’s physical, social-emotional, and cognitive growth and development. More than any other developmental periods, childhood sets the stage for: • School success • Health literacy • Self-discipline • The ability to make good decisions about risky situations • Eating habits • Conflict negotiation and healthy relationships with family and friends.