• How Early Child Care Affects Later Development

Observations of children followed from birth through school age find that parenting quality has a stronger influence on children's cognitive and social-emotional development than the child care experience, but also find that quality child care is associated with positive language and behavioral development.

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• How Gene-Environment Interaction Affects Children's Anxious and Fearful Behavior

In a study of children observed as babies and again at school age, it was found that children were more likely to become anxious and shy individuals if they had a genetic predisposition to anxiety and their mothers lacked social support, resulting in environmental stress for the children.

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• The Effects of Early Reading with Parents on Developing Literacy Skills

A study of lower-income mothers with children in Early Head Start shows that reading to very young children even before children have begun to identify
letters can form an important foundation for vocabulary development
and language skills later in life.

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• Connections Between Early Literacy and Social Behavior

In two groups of children from lower-income families, early problems in literacy achievement are not immediately associated with aggressive behavior but, over time, they become increasingly predictive as these difficulties gather momentum and as children become more frustrated.

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