Why Babies? Why Now?

Why Babies? Why Now? 

• Unlike other organs, the brain is not fully formed at birth.
• In infancy, the brain we rely on for success in school and life is still developing.
• The human brain grows to 85% of its adult capacity between conception and age 3.
• The experiences we have, from conception to age three, influence the ultimate size of the brain and transform its structure.
• Early experience triggers genes to release varying amounts of chemicals into the body to prepare the brain for similar experiences in the future.
• What happens to babies during their first three years is that their brains get wired for anticipated future functioning.
• Foundations of how we will think, feel and communicate in the future are being laid down in infancy.
• School Readiness, a competent workforce, solid taxpayers, fewer criminals, more people able to control their impulses and regulate their emotions. All these things have their origins in infancy.
• A focus on ensuring healthy development during infancy will pay dividends throughout life. Delayed, damaged, or insufficient development is very difficult and expensive to correct later in life. If we ignore the earliest years, we do so to the detriment of our children, families, communities and nation.

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