Early and Middle Childhood Workgroup

We know that experiences in early childhood (usually defined as birth to 8 years) and middle childhood (usually defined as ages 6 to 12 years) are extremely important for a child’s healthy development and lifelong health and well-being.¹ How young children play, learn, grow, and form relationships during early and middle childhood influences school readiness and success later in life.^2,3,4,5 Research on physical and mental health in adults shows that having good health over the lifetime starts with healthy development in early and middle childhood.^3,6

Supporting children’s development and preventing risks in early and middle childhood can have lasting benefits.^6,7 For healthy development, children need:

• Knowledgeable and nurturing parents, families, and caregivers
• Supportive and safe environments in home, schools, and communities
• Access to high-quality care and education

The objectives selected by the EMC Workgroup include those that track overall healthy development and key factors that help children learn and grow, like positive communication with parents or having parents read to them. Developmental and research objectives include tracking developmental readiness for school and high-quality early childhood education. The EMC objectives also cover topics related to healthy child development not yet covered by other workgroups — like childhood sleep and prevention of childhood mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders.