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The Social Determinants of Health Across Early Childhood Development

The first five years of life are a period of rapid brain and biological development that set the stage for lifelong health and learning. These early years are thus a key window for proactively improving long-term societal health, education, and economic outcomes. Promoting access to health care services, improving early learning opportunities, boosting family economic security, expanding secure housing and nutrition support programs, and addressing social and community well-being are all crucial levers for strengthening families and communities, for generations to come.

Young children cool off by playing in a fountain in Brooklyn, New York’s Domino Park.
Young children cool off by playing in a fountain in Brooklyn, New York’s Domino Park as the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline during a heat wave on July 24, 2022. (Getty/Alexi Rosenfeld)

Child Care, Social Determinants of Health

This series breaks down the social determinants across three stages of development: the perinatal period, infancy and toddlerhood, and the preschool years. Understanding the unique needs of children and families across early development—and development as a continuous process that absorbs the impact of broader policy decisions and social, environmental, and economic conditions—is essential for designing holistic policies and interventions that ensure every child has the chance to thrive.

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Strengthening Early Childhood Health, Housing, Education, and Economic Well-Being Through Holistic Public Policy Report
A child stacks duplo legos to make a tower in a Head Start classroom for children ages 3 to 5.

Strengthening Early Childhood Health, Housing, Education, and Economic Well-Being Through Holistic Public Policy

The preschool years present a critical developmental period sensitive to changes in public health and social policy, for which robust investments in programs that support families can improve intergenerational outcomes.

Allie Schneider, Hailey Gibbs

A Strong Start in Life: How Public Health Policies Affect the Well-Being of Pregnancies and Families Report
A mother kisses her child as her midwife examines her at a birthing center in South Los Angeles.

A Strong Start in Life: How Public Health Policies Affect the Well-Being of Pregnancies and Families

Understanding how the key social determinants of health—including housing, employment, and education—affect perinatal health is critical to ensuring that federal policies support healthy babies and families.

Hailey Gibbs, Marquisha Johns, Osub Ahmed, 2 More Maggie Jo Buchanan, Arohi Pathak

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