Next Generation

Infant & Toddler Center

568 Portsmouth Avenue

Greenland, NH 03840

603.422.9582

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Early Childhood Development

Critical Years of Brain Development

Recent brain research indicates that early care and education has long lasting effects on how children learn and develop, cope with stress, and handle their emotions.(1) Zero to Three, the nation’s leading resource for early childhood growth, found that the first three years of life are a period of incredible growth in all areas of a baby's development. A newborn's brain is about 25 percent of its approximate adult weight. But by age 3, it has grown dramatically by producing billions of cells and hundreds of trillions of connections, or synapses, between these cells. While we know that the development of a young child's brain takes years to complete, we also know there are many things parents and caregivers can do to help children get off to a good start and establish healthy patterns for life-long learning. (2)

Zero to Three recommends that:

Early childhood programs must balance the focus on cognition and literacy skills with comparable attention to the emotional and social development of all children, including those with special needs
The early childhood years lay a foundation that influences the effectiveness of all subsequent education efforts
Public expenditures for early care and education must be invested in high quality programs that promote sustained relationships with qualified personnel

Next Generation specializes in these first three years of life, by providing a developmentally appropriate curriculum for all children in our care. Activities will be structured based on each child’s age, ability, and needs.

Next Generation’s goals:

To provide a warm, nurturing environment for young children where they will learn best through play

To provide children with opportunities to explore their world in a developmentally appropriate and safe environment

To give children the opportunity to make discoveries while building self-confidence and a sense of independence

To foster the relationship between parents and child, as the parent is the child’s most important teacher

[1] Kids Count Data, a project of The Annie E. Casey Foundation, www.kidscount.org, 2004.

[2] Princeton Brookings, The Future of Children.Org, “Development in the First Years of Life,” Full Journal Issue: Caring for Infants and Toddlers, pg. 6 of 8. Dec 11, 2001.