Advances in the science of early childhood development, including its underlying neurobiology, offer an unprecedented opportunity for communities, families, and their partners to bring sharper focus to their efforts on behalf of vulnerable young children.

James M. Radner is assistant professor at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto; senior fellow at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University; executive director and co-founder of The Boreal Institute for Civil Society; and senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs. His teaching and action research engage with challenges in domestic and international social and economic development, and applications of quantitative and qualitative tools to improve the effectiveness of social initiatives at local, national and international levels. He works extensively with programs focused on children and youth and is partnering with the TruePoint Center for Higher Ambition Leadership and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University in the design and development of the “Frontiers of Innovation” initiative, from which many of the examples in this essay are drawn.