New findings based on research shows that children’s earliest experiences play a critical role in brain development, therefore the old ideas that genes alone determine development have been disproven. This growing scientific evidence supports the need for society to re-examine the way it thinks about the circumstances and experiences to which young children are exposed. Scientists have discovered that early experiences can determine how genes are turned on and off and even whether some are expressed at all (Meaney, 2010; Szyf, 2009a; 2009b). The experiences children have early in life and the environments in which they have them shape their developing brain architecture and strongly affect whether they grow up to be healthy, productive members of the society.