Press Centre
Media Interviews
Many HELP faculty are available to speak to the media on topics of interest in the area of human early learning and child development including the EDI, MDI, program and service evaluation, biological embedding and early child development, social determinants of health, child care and community development and mobilization. For more information or to arrange a media interview, please contact Amy Mullis, Communications Officer, at amy.mullis@ubc.ca or 604.822.0559.
Fast Facts
What is HELP?
The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary research network, based at the University of British Columbia. HELP's unique partnership brings together many scientific viewpoints to address complex early child development (ECD) issues, with a focus of ensuring that research knowledge is translated to community and policy action. HELP connects researchers, graduate students and practitioners from communities and institutions across B.C., Canada, and internationally.
Why is early child development research important?
Research on children in their earliest years is compelling. Early experiences shape our development as humans. Positive and negative experiences become 'embedded' in the biology of our brains and bodies, persisting far into adult life and influencing our health and well-being. Genes and environments interact to determine how early experiences affect our development. Levels of child vulnerability are much higher than the average person estimates: in B.C., vulnerability rates have been approximately 30% of children for the last 10 years. Later health and education programs would be more effective and less costly if we could strengthen the foundations of social development, health, and learning in early childhood. There are profound social and economic benefits associated with an enhanced investment in the early years.
Healthy, thriving children are essential to a prosperous and sustainable society. Early experiences have a profound influence on brain architecture, which determines a person's lifelong health and well-being. It is imperative that we ensure optimal environments for all children, working with parents and caregivers, program and service delivery, staff, communities, bureaucrats, and political leaders to do so.
Who is the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP)?
Dr. Clyde Hertzman is Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP). He is also a Canada Research Chair in Population Health and Human Development and Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC.
Under Dr. Hertzman's leadership, HELP has developed into an internationally recognized and unique research network that integrates the behavioural and social sciences with biomedical sciences to study life course development, with a particular focus on early child development.
Biography of Dr. Clyde Hertzman
When was HELP established?
HELP was established in 2001, although the Early Development Instrument Mapping Project, which is a foundational HELP initiative, began in the school year 1999-2000.
Who funds HELP?
HELP is funded in part by the British Columbia Ministries of Children and Family Development, Education and Health, as well as by research grants and donors.
