The Incredible Developing Brain

If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.

Explore brain development from birth to age 6 and discover how early experiences, relationships, movement, sensory exploration, and play shape young children’s growth and learning. Designed for early childhood educators and caregivers, this course combines basic neuroscience with practical classroom strategies. Participants will examine the impact of stress, the importance of “serve and return” interactions, and ways to create environments that support children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Course length – 1.5 hours.

The course answers the following questions:

• How do early life experiences, such as positive relationships or chronic stress, influence the way a child’s brain develops?

• What role does play serve in supporting healthy brain growth and learning during the first five years of life?

• Why is the “serve and return” interaction between adults and children critical for cognitive, social, and emotional development?

• How can early childhood professionals create an environment that supports both the physical and emotional aspects of brain development?

Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Identify the key stages of early brain development and their effects on children’s learning with 80% accuracy on the course assessment.

• Develop at least three hands-on learning experiences that support children’s cognitive development, self-regulation, and concentration.

• Create a developmentally appropriate learning-environment plan that includes at least three features supporting whole-child development.