New NASEM report on early relationship health
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recently released a new consensus study report titled “Early Relational Health: Building Foundations for Child, Family, and Community Well-Being.”1 This report highlights the importance of early relationships and includes references to the HOPE framework and the key types of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) known as the Four Building Blocks of HOPE.
Positive relationships promote healthy brain development
Early relational health overlaps with the Four Building Blocks of HOPE. First, we will look at the Building Block of relationships. Moments of meaningful connection are critical in the sensitive early period of life. Research shows that early relational health is associated with better mental health and socio-emotional well-being, relational outcomes, and physical health. These relationships are biologically important for healthy brain development. Early relational health is also impacted by the broader environment and community context that may encourage or inhibit opportunities for this connection.
Promoting the Building Blocks of environment and engagement
The report includes a section examining early relational health and the HOPE framework. In addition to the Building Block of relationships, the Building Blocks of environment and engagement can foster early relational health. For example, within the Building Block of environment, it is important to have basic needs, like having safe and secure housing and adequate food, for early relationships to flourish. Access to green spaces and other child-friendly infrastructure allows for the important family interactions that strengthen the caregiver-child bond. For the Building Block of engagement, a sense of cultural engagement promotes social networks within families and communities that provide children with relational resources.
Future direction for early relational health research
The report also identifies future research directions: early relationships outside of that with a main caregiver, including grandparents, siblings, and early educators, and how early relationships develop in a wider variety of cultural contexts. The HOPE framework emphasizes that the Four Building Blocks of HOPE may look different for different people, and it is important to try to understand what they mean in family and community contexts.
The HOPE framework can be useful to early childhood professionals as they promote positive relationships in the families they serve. The NASEM report summarizes the research, makes recommendations, and serves to put a spotlight on this new approach to health promotion.
1. National Academies of Sciences E, Medicine. Early Relational Health: Building Foundations for Child, Family, and Community Well-Being. The National Academies Press; 2025:191.
