The importance of the early childhood years in a child's growth and development cannot be overemphasized. During these years growth is rapid and the foundations for later sensory, motor, cognitive, physical, language and social-emotional development are laid. Some of our most prominent and respected scientists, theoreticians and scholars have emphasized these critical early years (Bloom, 1964; Bronfenbrenner, 1975; Bruner, 1969; Hunt, 1961; White, 1975) and evidence gathered during the last thirty years supports their early work.
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