Spotlight
National Symposium on Early Childhood Science and Policy
On June 26-27, 2008, the National Symposium on Early Childhood Science and Policy will convene in Cambridge, MA. This event is jointly sponsored by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. State-based teams of legislators, gubernatorial policy advisors, and business and civic leaders will join with researchers from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation to learn about recent advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, medicine, and developmental psychology - which together form an integrated science of early childhood development - as well as evidence-based policy implications from four decades of rigorous program evaluation research. The event will feature presentations from Council Members Megan Gunnar, Pat Levitt, and Charles Nelson, and a keynote presentation will be provided by Council Chair Jack Shonkoff.
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The work of the Council is made possible by the active, cutting-edge research careers of its Members. Leaders in their respective disciplines, they are frequently sought after for presentations, interviews and testimonies, and publish papers about their work in journals as well as general-interest publications. As Members of the Council, they take seriously their mission to bring credible, non-partisan science to the policy arena in the hopes of closing the gap between what we know about how children develop and what we do to serve them. Through their published papers and articles, their presentations, and their participation in media interviews, they add to the knowledge base and reach new audiences
Upcoming Events
What Does Economics Tell Us About Early Childhood Policy?
Date: May 12, 2008
Event: A Congressional panel discussion featuring Council Member Deborah Phillips to address the implications of recent research that informs evidence-based guidelines related to early childhood policy.
Location: Washington, DC
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New Discoveries in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Date: May 22, 2008
Event: A presentation by Council Member Pat Levitt at a Congressional briefing sponsored by the Friends of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The presentation will discuss the latest research findings on a range of intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, Fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and Rett syndrome.
Location: Washington, DC
Policy Retreat for Early Childhood Advisory Council Leadership
Date: June 19-20, 2008
Event: A presentation by Council Member Ross Thompson at a Policy Retreat sponsored by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices to be attended by selected teams of governor's education, health, and/or human services advisors, as well as their state's early childhood advisory council.
Location: Denver, CO
National Economic Forum on Early Childhood Investment
Date: July 9-10, 2008
Event: A presentation by Council Member Greg Duncan at the Annual Conference of the Partnership for America's Economic Success. The conference will provide new data on the economic returns of proven investments in young children and showcase business leadership in making children an economic priority.
Location: Washington, DC
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Brain Development & Learning: Making Sense of the Science
Date:July 12-15, 2008
Event: The 2nd biennial, international conference designed to provide business leaders, poilcymakers, doctors, educators, parents, and all those who care about children with cutting-edge, understandable, and usable findings in neuroscience and child development. World-famous researchers will present on resilience in the face of stress, abuse, trauma, depression, or anxiety and on prefrontal cortex/ADHD/working memory/self-control. Speakers include Council Contributing Member Bruce McEwen and Adele Diamond, University of British Columbia.
Location: Vancouver, BC
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