Parenting matters: early years and social mobility

This paper outlines the key scientific concepts behind the development of early brain architecture and skill formation, and identifies the crucial challenges these present to improving social mobility.

It finds overwhelming evidence that investments designed to create a firm foundations at an early stage in a child’s life are dramatically more efficient – both practically and financially – than later, remedial interventions.

The author calls for more efforts in intervention directed at the family unit in order to help children from all backgrounds achieve their potential. They focus particularly on the importance of family and parental support, and advocate parenting classes and both pre-natal and other parenting initiatives.