The Science is Clear:
A Child’s Earliest Years Matter Most
In the first three years of life, children’s brains develop at an amazing pace: more than a million neural connections are created every second. No other stage of life offers such potential for growth and lifelong impact.
Nurturing, stable relationships and enriching care and learning during those first three years help develop strong cognitive and social-emotional skills. This contributes to higher academic achievement, greater workforce participation, better health and well-being, and even such societal benefits as less involvement with the criminal justice system and less spending on social services.
"Each baby's potential is unlimited. The window of time to provide a child with the foundation for success is not."
National nonprofit whose mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life
High-quality care — especially for infants and toddlers — is critical to healthy development, and one of the smartest investments New Jersey can make. Yet New Jersey spends the least on education and care when it can make the most difference – for our youngest learners. This failure to adequately invest in our youngest children leaves too many without the strong start they deserve, resulting in lasting gaps in learning, health, and opportunity — and generating enormous costs for taxpayers and the state economy.
Brain Development Timeline
From birth to age 3, the human brain grows faster than at any other stage of life. By age 3, the brain is already 80% of its adult size, and a child has learned to sit, stand, walk, play, talk, understand, and connect. Research shows that a child’s experiences in this brief window will form the foundation for life-long success – or create obstacles that last a lifetime. Stable, stimulating, and nurturing relationships and environments – like those in high-quality child care – strengthen critical brain structures, helping babies and toddlers build the strongest foundation for lifelong learning, health, and well-being.
The Brain Development Timeline
Babies are born with 100 billion brain cells – nearly all they’ll ever have – but with few connections between these cells.
A baby’s brain develops at lightning speed — forming more than a million new connections every second. These connections create the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and well-being.
By age 1, a child’s brain has tripled in size — reaching 75% of its adult volume.
Between ages 1 and 2 babies’ understanding and verbal communication takes off — they start instructions, playing games, and saying their first words. These new skills are outward evidence of the incredible brain formation happening. At this age, a child’s brain is like a sponge — soaking up language, emotions, and experiences at an astonishing rate.
By age 2, many of the brain’s structures are nearly fully developed. The brain areas responsible for language, memory, and self-control are rapidly developing.
Birth
Babies are born with 100 billion brain cells – nearly all they’ll ever have – but with few connections between these cells.
By age 1, a child’s brain has already tripled in size – reaching 75% of its adult volume.
By age 2, much of the brain’s architecture is built, and systems for language, memory, and self-control are rapidly developing.
At age 3, a child's brain is 80% of its adult size. Now the brain is working so hard that it uses more energy than any other part of the body. All the learning and brain development that happens throughout the rest of childhood and adolescence builds on structures created during the first three years.
Age 1
Age 2
Age 3
A baby’s brain develops at lightning speed – a million new neural connections form every second. These connections create the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and well-being, and are shaped by a baby’s experiences, relationships, and environment.
Between ages 1 and 2, everything starts to click – babies begin to follow directions, play, and speak their first words. At this stage, the brain is like a sponge, soaking up language, emotions, and experiences at an astonishing rate. In a high-quality care environment, there is simply more for a toddler’s brain to soak up: warm and responsive interactions, developmentally appropriate play and exploration, and stimulating language and reading.
Between ages 2 and 3, you can see rapid brain growth in action. Toddlers start speaking in sentences, running and jumping, and understanding emotions. At this stage, the brain begins to "edit" itself – some neural connections get stronger and others weaken, depending on a child's experiences and environment. High-quality care settings actually strengthen the neural connections needed for academic success and for social-emotional health.
Stable, nurturing relationships are crucial for infants and toddlers to support their rapidly developing brains. Every caregiver plays a key role in building young minds. But, low pay, high turnover, stress, and burnout contribute to a growing shortage of child care educators and facilities.
"You’re not choosing a babysitter. You’re selecting the adult who will help co-construct your child’s brain.
- Dan Wuori, PhD
Author of “The Daycare Myth,” founder and president, Early Childhood Policy Solutions
1 Million+
Neural connections form every second in a baby’s brain
75%
Of adult brain volume reached by age 1
72%
Of New Jersey children under age 3 spend time in the care of someone other than a parent — during a critical window when every interaction shapes brain development
Up to $13
Estimated return on every dollar invested in early care and education