Upcoming Events

• Celebrate National Youth Sports Week July 19 - 25. Help children find a sport or other physical activity they enjoy!
• July is also National Blueberry Month. Blueberries contain fiber and antioxidants that are good for growing children. Check this Blueberry Month article for history, fun facts, and easy blueberries.

 

Research in Brief

• Early Childhood Development and Public Policy podcast. Listen to a podcast by pediatrician Dr. Jack Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. He explains the impact of early experience on brain development and the implications for public policy.
• Poverty and the Brain. A recent study in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience has shown differences in prefrontal cortex development between children from low and higher socioeconomic levels. Read more in this UC Berkeley news release.
• CNN News Report: Autism and the Amygdala. A new research study shows that the amygdala is an average of 13% larger than normal in children with autism.

 

Publications

See an interactive online version of our Developmental Milestones Brochure!

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Welcome to Better Brains for Babies

Welcome to the website of the Georgia Better Brains for Babies initiative. Our goal is to provide families and professionals with current research-based information about the brain, early brain development, and its implications for children in Georgia and throughout the United States.  We also provide information about practices that contribute to healthy brain development, and we connect you with resources to support brain development in young children.

To enter the site and begin exploring our information on brain development, click on either Parents and Families or Professionals above.

The Science of Early Brain Development

Ongoing research in neuroscience and related fields continues to demonstrate clearly that the human brain is not fully developed at birth. Brain development begins long before birth and continues throughout our lives. Most of the connections that form the brain’s wiring develop during infancy and childhood, based on children’s specific life experiences. More...

 

Children need regular, positive interactions with nurturing adults in order to develop the complex networks of brain connections they will need to form healthy relationships. Children's early relationships are vital to brain development because they help wire the brain to trust others, to love, and to feel safe and secure. More...

 

Children's future success begins with the foundations built in early childhood. Children need enriching experiences in their daily lives – as well as ongoing opportunities to explore and learn from their world – in order to build the brain wiring that helps them learn and use language, solve problems, and develop many other fundamental abilities needed to be a well-adjusted adult. More...