3 Principles Every Child Advocate Should Know

The science of early childhood provides a simple framework for creating better outcomes for children and families. Inspired by ScienceXDesign, I’m exploring how three core principles—rooted in decades of neuroscience and behavioral research—can inform our work as educators, advocates, and leaders. Together, they provide a roadmap for helping children thrive into adulthood.

The Science Behind Building Better Futures

Our understanding of early childhood development has never been clearer. By applying what we know about how children grow and learn, we can create environments that foster healthy brain architecture, build resilience, and promote lifelong well-being.

If your goal is to ensure positive outcomes for children, three proven principles can be implemented into early childhood program design, advocacy effort or policy to build brighter futures for kids:

1. Responsive Relationships: The back-and-forth "serve and return" interactions between children and caregivers build neural connections that are essential for communication, emotional regulation, and social competence. Research highlights that stable, responsive relationships are the strongest factor in helping children overcome hardship. Learn more about serve and return here.

2. Core Life Skills: Often referred to as executive function, these skills include planning, focus, and adaptability—what some call the "air traffic control" system of the brain. These skills develop rapidly between the ages of 3-5 and are further refined in adolescence, providing opportunities to support learning through play, routines, and mentorship. Learn more about executive function here.

3. Reducing Stress: While manageable stress can build resilience, toxic stress—caused by persistent adversity without supportive relationships—disrupts brain development and increases the risk of lifelong challenges. Addressing systemic stressors like poverty and inequities is essential for giving every child a fair chance.

These principles are interconnected. For instance, responsive relationships help buffer toxic stress, while core life skills empower children to navigate adversity and build meaningful relationships. When combined, they create a virtuous cycle of growth and resilience:

My insights

Reflecting on these principles, I’m struck by how universal they are. They challenge us to think beyond immediate solutions and consider how we can build systems that support long-term development. For example, at NABU, our focus on creating culturally relevant books has always been about more than teaching children to read. It’s about fostering connection, reducing stress for caregivers by providing accessible resources, and giving children stories that strengthen their sense of self.

If you want to deepen your knowledge of the science of early childhood and these three principles, I highly recommend this free course that was developed by Harvard Center For The Developing Child and provides a self-paced learning experience for individuals and teams!

Key Takeaways for Practice

• Champion Responsive Relationships: Design interventions that support caregivers in engaging with children through back-and-forth, nurturing interactions.

• Create Skill-Building Opportunities: Advocate for play-based learning environments and mentorship programs that scaffold executive function skills.

• Address Systemic Stressors: Push for policies and programs that reduce toxic stress by tackling inequities in housing, healthcare, and education.

Engage with Me

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Here’s how you can get involved:

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Join Us on This Journey

This exploration of topics in early childhood goes beyond the NABU team; it's for anyone with a deep interest in development, education, technology, and media. Whether you're a donor, educator, partner, or practitioner, there’s valuable insight here for you. Together, we can collaborate, learn, and make a lasting impact.

Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. I’m excited to continue this exploration with you.

Tanyella Allison Leta