In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • Introducing the Issue
  • Anna Aizer (bio) and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn

It is a pleasure to introduce this issue of the Future of Children, the first to focus on the first years of life starting with in utero experiences. Though a few previous issues have examined programs and services directed to the youngest children and their parents (home visiting programs, universal postnatal programs), none have taken a broader or more comprehensive look at the prenatal to age three period or, in our parlance, “Three Trimesters to Three Years.” These phrases signal the premise that prenatal experiences are part and parcel of the postnatal experience of mothers and their babies; in fact, the postnatal period is sometimes referred to as the fourth trimester, a way to highlight the fact that after a child’s birth, mothers themselves need continuing services and screening, rather than a somewhat myopic focus on the newborn alone. The title of this issue, “Three Trimesters to Three Years,” highlights continuity in development, the continuing intersection of mother and baby, and the rapid growth that occurs from conception to three years of age. Other common phrases, such as the first 1,000 days or birth to three, are in this sense limiting.

The Future of Children has not been alone in neglecting this age period, even though it is the one in which the most rapid growth of the brain and behavior occurs. Most researchers and policy makers have treated the nine months of development during pregnancy separately from the first three years of life. By tying the nine months of pregnancy to the first three years of life, we highlight the continuity of development. Similarly, obstetricians are now using the term fourth trimester to characterize the first postpartum months, when the health concerns of new mothers are often ignored. It is now clear that:

  • • life experiences begin before birth,

  • • the in utero environment affects later development,

  • • inequities in access to and quality of prenatal services begin during pregnancy, and

  • • discrimination, racism, and classism affect pregnant women, and thus affect their fetuses and young children in turn. [End Page 3]

Plan of the Issue

We’ve organized this issue mainly along the lines of the inputs necessary for health and development during pregnancy and in the first three years. Another framework might have focused on outputs, or indicators such as cognitive, linguistic, motor, social, and emotional development, as well as behaviors reflecting curiosity, perseverance, empathy, and attention (which involve social, emotional, and cognitive skills). Health, another output, comprises many different indicators. Each of these outputs depends, in varying degrees, on multiple inputs, and possibly different inputs later in childhood than during the period we’re examining. Consequently, each article would have had to consider some of the same inputs, which could have been repetitive (and difficult for authors to write!).

We selected nine inputs for consideration (realizing that not every input is covered, an impossibility in a single issue of Future of Children):

  • • pregnancy and fetal development: the child’s first home;

  • • parental nurturance and sensitivity: the child’s first relationships;

  • • parental language and cognitive activities: the child’s first learning environment;

  • • stability and organization in the home and neighborhood: the child’s experience of consistency;

  • • family income: the child’s experience of material security;

  • • child nutrition: the child’s experience of food security;

  • • health care: the universal service;

  • • parental leave to care for the baby: the balance between family and work; and

  • • child care and education: the first out-of-home caregivers and teachers.

The articles on these nine topics describe what we know about these inputs based on recent and rigorous research. They are not meant to constitute an exhaustive review. The authors highlight both observational studies that follow children and their parents over time and experimental evidence. Results that have been replicated across investigators and laboratories form the corpus of knowledge in these articles. Our intent is to highlight evidence from the most rigorous studies in which we are most confident that the relationships estimated are causal in nature, not simply correlational.

Whenever possible, the articles touch on biological mechanisms underlying the timely provision of love, teaching, stability, parental care, food, material goods, health care, and...

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