All children deserve the best start in life and new scientific discoveries deepen our understanding of how to create the best environments for children. The Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington (I-LABS) is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to discovering the fundamental principles of human learning, with a special emphasis on early learning and brain development.  This hour long class covers the following points:    Children take cues from other people to guide their emotions and behavior, especially in new situations (social referencing).  Children even learn from interactions they’re not directly involved in – they pick up on emotional states of others just from watching and listening.  In their second year of life, children begin managing their own emotions or behaviors (self-regulation), often using others’ reactions to guide their actions.