Books
Three Key Years
Expert Opinion and Commentary about Three Key Years:
"The national debate about supporting children in their first years of life would be far better informed if people who are concerned about that topic would read this book.”
~ James J. Heckman, Ph.D. — American economist and Nobel Laureate; Professor of economics at The University of Chicago — Heckman is the author of multiple reports, papers and books on early childhood brain development economic issues.
“How should society respond to the science of early brain development? George Halvorson has written a compelling and passionate argument for the ways society should invest in the critical first three years.
His analysis ranges from families and parents, to the educational system, to technology and even the prison system — in each case bringing us back to the foundations and opportunities created by development in the early years of life for each child.
The challenges he presents are matched by the urgency of the need.”
~ Ross A. Thompson, Ph.D. — Distinguished Professor Laureate at the University of California, Davis; National Expert on Toxic Stress Syndrome Causation, Prevention and Treatment
"Three Key Years is a perspective changing book. It gives us an important new reality and understanding. Reading this book will have an impact on every child I come in contact with, directly and indirectly! Together we can change the lives of every child by using our own "inner-child" to TALK, READ, PLAY and SING.
Three Key Years should be required reading for every community leader, activist, organizer and community member. This will make a difference in the lives and livelihoods of your community.
As a community developer, we look for impact and we look for value. Here it is. Read it! Enjoy!
What a great gift of Love!
Thank you for this book!”
~ Michael A. Goze — CEO of The American Indian Community Development Corporation
"In this extremely useful book, George Halvorson applied extraordinary knowledge and wisdom to ensuring that children gain the ability to develop and thrive towards and throughout adulthood.
The Three Key Years book teaches us that the very first years of life are the essential building blocks to a successful life.
This is a must-read book for parents, family members, and anyone interested in securing productive, thoughtful, and happy future generations of Americans."
~ Ron Pollack — Executive Director of Families USA — Health Care Reform Activist and Community Leader
"What happens during the first three years of life is the most important time in determining how our children's brains grow and develop.
This extraordinary book describes a few simple things parents can do during this time that can make a profound improvement throughout their child's life.
Should be required reading for all parents."
~ Dean Ornish, M.D.; Founder & President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute | Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF
“Three Key Years is an incredibly powerful and important book — a clarion call to one of the key pressing issues in society today! Congratulations for this fabulous book and for continuing to make positive impacts in our nation.”
~ Amir Dan Rubin — President and Chief Executive Officer, Stanford Health Care
"We need to support our children in their development in the first years of life. We need to help every child. We also need to help every family.
Three Key Years gives us clear pathways we can use to help our communities and our families help our children.
I strongly recommend that people who are concerned about the future of our children in every community read this book."
~ Marcus Bright Ph.D. — Executive Director at Education for a Better America | Education Leader For The National Action Network
“George Halvorson has taken a deep and long standing awareness, concern and knowledge about health care disparities and health care inequity, and applied that knowledge to early brain development for children — one of the most pressing issues of our time.
He unlocks patterns and he identifies trends in data that we all need to understand, and he makes concrete suggestions for solutions that, if enacted, will change the life trajectories of millions of American children.”
~ Susan True — Director of Education Strategy and Ventures Kenneth Rainin Foundation — Former executive director of First 5 California, Santa Cruz County
“In an era of political gridlock and polarized education discourse, we spend most of our time explaining what we can’t do ... and why.
In Three Key Years, Halvorson suggests a compelling alternative: that we collectively focus our energies on functionally supporting children’s development from the very beginning of their lives.”
~ Conor P. Williams, Ph.D. — Senior Researcher: Early Education Initiative New America Foundation | Founder: Dual Language Learners National Work Group New America Education Policy Program
“The experiences children have during their first few years profoundly impacts the way their brains form and develop with consequences that play out over future decades.
Each child has many possible futures. We can create the best ones with some extra early attention. Otherwise, we miss a big chance and we pay the consequences.
Compelling new evidence of this reality is emerging from neuroscience, child development, economics and other fields.
In this highly useful and functional book, George Halvorson offers practical blueprints for how we can, in our daily lives as parents, grandparents, and organizational leaders, create bright futures for the children we love."
~ Aaron J. Sojourner, Ph.D. — Professor of economics at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
“The goal of an affordable national health system begins with healthy people, which focuses each of us on the first three years of life.
The Three Key Years book explains from an unexpected, but very clear public health perspective, why we need to make helping all children from all groups in those first years a national priority.
It also explains why leaders from all groups should seize the opportunity to help their own group’s children improve their success levels in life, by getting the right levels of brain stimulation and brain exercise in those first key years.
Anyone concerned about the future of our children in America should read and understand this book."
~ Senator David Durenberger — U.S. Senate (R/Minn.) 1978 – 1995 | Chairman of the National Institute of Health Policy (NIHP)
“George Halvorson’s new book, Three Key Years, is an important book on one of the most important challenges facing the world and our country today. We pride ourselves as being an equal opportunity society, against growing evidence that we are not. To actually achieve that hefty goal, we must give every child an environment early in life — the first three years — conducive to what Aristotle called human flourishing.
This book has particular relevance for the U.S., where close to 40 percent of all children are born to unmarried women who are often also young, poor and poorly educated, and therefore not in a position to provide their babies the nourishing environment in early life that they need to flourish later in life.
This book should be read by every policy maker in government at the community, state, and federal levels, and all members of the non-profit sector in the U.S.
It should also be made mandatory reading in all schools as part of their health and well being curricula. Unless we act now, countless children will continue to grow up in this country unfairly facing highly unequal opportunities.
America urgently needs a well-articulated public policy targeting this well-researched area, and our schools and government need to work with the private sector to help create the right early-life environment to give all Americans the economic, social and political opportunities they deserve.”
~ Tsung-Mei Cheng, JD, MA, Health Policy Research Analyst, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Below are Huffington Thought Pieces on Early Childhood Development by George C. Halvorson:
Not Teaching Parents About Early Brain Development Is A Massive and Damaging Public Health Failure
Brains are Strengthened in the First Three Years of Life
A Million Dollar Opportunity for Mothers
Read/Talk/Sing — To Build Strong Brains in Very Young Children
Learning Gaps In Schools Can't Be Ended By Schools
Not Teaching Parents About Early Brain Development Is A Massive and Damaging Public Health Failure