News & Articles

Stress Has Lasting Effect on Child's Development

The importance of children's earliest years has long been recognized, but our understanding of the underlying science has taken a significant leap in the past decades. Studies regularly document the effects that a child's earliest experiences can have on later life and adult health. There is a growing consensus among experts that a key mechanism linking childhood adversity to later health and well-being is the stress caused by early negative experiences. These early negative experiences manifest in neglect, emotional and physical abuse, and excessively harsh parenting.

Robin Karr-Morse Discusses the Effects of Toxic Stress

There are times when we use words or phrases so often that their full impact gets lost in their repetition. We’ve dedicated ourselves this month to making sure that this doesn’t happen with a term we use often, toxic stress. Its meaning is profound.

Back to Basics: ABCs of Positive Parenting

From the very first moment that a child enters the world and throughout the first three years of life, positive parenting is the key needed to unlock his or her full potential. Babies are born ready to learn and parents are a child’s first teachers. Understanding the fundamentals of positive parenting can help new or expecting mothers and fathers ensure their child develops the tools that he or she needs to succeed, both inside and outside the classroom.

Growing Understanding of Brain Development is Music to Our Ears

As many musicians in Memphis know, becoming an overnight success usually takes years of hard work. It's the same with early childhood brain development. The Urban Child Institute has been working for a decade with partners and community leaders to spread the word about how crucial this issue is to the future of Memphis and the region. Today it is clearer than ever that this message is finding a wide audience.

A New Year's Resolution

It's the time of year when we look back at the past year and make resolutions for the new one. It's no different at The Urban Child Institute, as we step back to consider what has been done for children's brain development in 2011 and what our plans will be for 2012.

Ages 1-3 are the Time of a Lifetime

It has been said that a parent is only as content as his or her least content child. In recent months, we've read several human-interest stories that prove the truth of this statement. Even a parent whose life has been filled with traumatic experiences will often rise above them if her children are healthy and thriving.

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