The Early Years: A Time of Promise
The Children's School shares its perspective on the science of child development and the lasting importance of a child's early years, and invites families to an Open House on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The most consequential years of a human life are often the least visible. Everyday experiences shape brain development and establish patterns that affect a lifetime of learning, relationships, and health. The Children's School believes the beginning deserves its fullest attention.
During the first 2,000 days, from birth to approximately five and a half years, the brain develops at a pace it will never match again. Through age eight and beyond, it continues laying the groundwork for thought, feeling, and character, much of it out of sight.
Consider the scale of it. In these early years, the brain roughly quadruples in size, reaching nearly its adult volume, and much of its basic architecture takes shape. In the first few years alone, more than one million new neural connections form every second, according to Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child. Out of this constant weaving grows a network more intricate than any machine humans have built: billions of cells learning, moment by moment, to communicate with one another.
Experience is what gives that network its direction. Every song sung, every question answered, every moment of comfort leaves its mark. The school thinks of it the way a builder thinks of a foundation: what is established first supports everything built on top. A child's earliest experiences shape how they learn, how they relate to others, and even how healthy they will be. A strong future takes root in loving, stable relationships and in classrooms that are nurturing, responsive, and respectful. Children who are known, heard, and challenged develop the confidence and capacity to meet the world.
Across the country, educators, researchers, and families are calling for early education that honors this science. They recognize the importance of highly trained teachers and a curriculum rich enough to match a young mind's appetite. The Children's School was founded on the belief that children deserve respect and to be taken seriously. More than six decades later, neuroscience continues to affirm what the school's educators understood from the beginning: the earliest years influence everything that follows. The school brings that belief to life through the finest educational practice and a wholehearted dedication to each child's growth.
How does the school make the most of a child's first 2,000 days? It begins with the understanding that these early years are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that the experiences children have during this time matter profoundly. The school fills those days with music, stories, numbers, and real conversation, guided by teachers who bring their knowledge and passion for the arts, languages, mathematics, and science to the classroom. Children are not simply recipients of information; they actively construct their own understanding through exploration, discovery, conversation, and purposeful work. That is the promise of The Children's School.
Families can see this approach in action at the school's Open House on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Because when we invest in the early years, we invest in everything that follows.
About The Children's School
The Children's School serves children ages 3 to 8. That span covers the heart of the years of promise, when the foundation for learning, relationships, and lifelong well-being is laid. For more than six decades, the school has given children the respect, attention, and rich experiences these years deserve. That means teachers who know each child well, classrooms that are nurturing and responsive, and a curriculum full of music, language, mathematics, science, and the arts.
The school is located at 118 Scofieldtown Road in Stamford, Connecticut. Families are invited to tour the campus and meet the school community at an Open House on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. Families who can't attend can call to schedule a private tour.
For more information, call 203-329-8815 or visit www.childrensschool.org.