What do you remember before the age of five? Probably not much. This is likely due to a phenomenon psychologists have dubbed “childhood amnesia,” which prevents most adults from having any memories of the first three or four years of their lives. Yet those years – the first five years of life in fact – have a seismic impact on our long-term social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development. In response, policymakers across the U.S. have implemented a host of early care and education (ECE) programs to support child and family well-being over the years.
Unfortunately, we have made it far too difficult as a society for families to access these programs. As a result, children across the country are missing out on potentially life-changing opportunities.
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