ECC’s Better Brain Campaign aims to improve the lives of Stillwater’s families by ensuring that all parents and caregivers can learn simple ways to make the most of the time they spend with children from birth to 5 years old. We are partnering with other community stakeholders to create awareness and opportunity for growth.
Why Build Young Brains?
From Birth to Age Three
A child’s brain grows rapidly, producing more than 1 million neural connections per second. By age three, the brain has achieved 80% of its adult size.
Early experiences shape the brain for learning, health, and lifelong success in school and work.. Adverse early experiences—such as poverty or maltreatment—can weaken babies’ brain development and follow them their entire lives, placing them at greater risk for later school failure and health problems as adults.
The Basics
Our campaign centers on The Basics, five parenting and caregiving strategies that support young children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. They were developed from research by the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University in collaboration with a national expert advisory committee. The Basics don’t require fancy toys or extra hours in the day – they can be a part of everyday routines at home and school.