Cities Are the Key to Children's Future [NYAS.org]

Two hundred years ago, when the Academy was launched, a child growing up in New York, London, Medellín or Manila was part of a tiny minority. Only three percent of all the world's people lived in cities. The modern world is very different: for the first time in human history more than half of us now live in cities. By 2050, more than 70 percent of all children on Earth will be growing up in urban environments. In this increasingly urbanized world, cities play a major role in helping all children reach their full potential.

A growing body of research from the field of early childhood development (ECD) has demonstrated conclusively that poverty, poor health, inadequate nutrition, lack of stimulation, stress and maltreatment disrupt healthy brain development – putting children at a lifelong disadvantage. Conversely, good health and nutrition, nurturing caregivers, stimulating play and safe environments have powerful positive and protective effects on young children's social, emotional and cognitive development. Biology (nature) is important, but recent findings from the field of ECD research give us a new appreciation for the importance of nurturing care.

[For more of this story, written by Charles A. Gardner, go to http://www.nyas.org/Publicatio...fa-82e5-89bb47bcacc6]