From Neurons to Neighborhoods
Published by National
Academy Press, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of
Early Childhood Development 
presents important findings about the effects of genetics, environment,
and early stress on brain architecture, the impact of politics on programs
for children, and the costs 
and benefits of intervention. Edited by Council Chair Jack P. Shonkoff
and Council Member Deborah A. Phillips, From Neurons to Neighborhoods
is the product of a two-and-a-half-year project, funded by a wide array
of public and private sponsors. The 17-member committee that developed
the report was charged with:
- Updating scientific knowledge about the nature of early development and the role of early experiences,
- Disentangling such knowledge from erroneous popular beliefs,
- Discussing the implications of this knowledge base for early childhood policy, practice, professional development, and research.
The project was sparked by two profound changes in recent decades: an explosion of research in the neurological, behavioral, and social sciences relating to the conditions that influence whether children get off to a promising or worrisome start in life; and the constraining of our capacity to use this knowledge constructively due to the social and economic circumstances under which families with young children are living in the U.S.
This convergence calls for a fundamental reexamination of the nation’s responses to the needs of young children and their families. From Neurons to Neighborhoods jump-starts that process by examining an extensive, multi-disciplinary body of research and issuing a series of challenges to decision-makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more.
The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child was established in 2003 to build on the experiences of two models. The first is the National Research Council (NRC) and Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, which produced the landmark report From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. The committee brought together 17 leading authorities on human development and neuroscience for an unprecedented review of the existing knowledge base on early childhood. In October 2000, their effort culminated in the publication of From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, whose broad scope attracted impressive reviews and widespread accolades.
The second group, the MacArthur Research Network on Early Experience and Brain Development, was established in 1998 and demonstrated the transformative impact of interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative research at the intersection of neurobiology and developmental psychology. An eight-year effort involving leading neuroscientists and child development experts, some of whom also served on the NRC/IOM committee, this body conducted wide-ranging research on the effects of early experience on brain development and behavior. The Network asked– and answered – the compelling question of how this expanding knowledge base can influence the decisions our society makes about supporting the health and development of young children.
After the publication of From Neurons to Neighborhoods, participants in both projects were determined that their work must open a new chapter focused on translating and communicating the science of early childhood development into informed public policy that best serves the needs of the nation’s children and families. In 2006, the Council moved from its base at Brandeis University to become part of the new Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Its mission is unchanged. Staunchly non-partisan, the Council’s role is to be that of a knowledge broker, using science to help policymakers address this critical question: Given finite resources, what are the best ways to invest those funds that are earmarked for young children?
