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This document is a readable, easily understood review of how the brain develops, the effects of maltreatment on brain development, and implications for policy and practice.

Science also shows that providing stable, responsive environments for children in the earliest years of life can prevent or reverse these conditions, with lifelong consequences for learning, behavior, and health.

This edition of the InBrief series addresses basic concepts of early childhood development, established over decades of neuroscience and behavioral research, which help illustrate why child development, particularly from birth to five years, is a foundation for a prosperous and sustainable society.

This paper builds on a process of systematic analysis that began with the publication in 2000 of a landmark report by the National Academy of Sciencesentitled From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, followed bythe ongoing work of the National Scientific Councilon the Developing Child and the National Forumon Early Childhood Program Evaluation, both of which are based at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

Designed specifically for parents and caregivers, this resource describes how the brain works, how it is affected by trauma, and how it can heal.