My work is serving human services agencies that administer childcare and early education programs. So I get into contact a lot with educators and activists on behalf of children. In those circles, it is common knowledge that 80% of the brain development occurs during the first five years of life. When you know that, it is tragic to see how many children are left in a state of stupor staring at the compelling distractions on a television screen, bombarded with cheap programs and highly targeted commercial messages.
Small children need to be held, cuddled, tickled, read to, and played with. Children need to be stimulated, they need to be taught.
They need to be loved.
What happens when a small child is completely neglected? Missing the window of the first five years has a devastating effect on the entire life.