While genes set the roadmap, experiences create the neural connection inside the brain that sets the foundations of our emotions, language, motor skills, vision, and memories.

If one region gets additional stimulation, the neural pathways within that area and the connections to other areas grow stronger.

This process is called synaptic pruning.

You can also imagine your brain as a planet.

There is Motor Skill Metropolis, Memory Mountain, and Vision Village.

Through the years, popular cities grow bigger and links between them get larger.

Now, if one area was never developed, there can be traffic jams.

This then slows down the development of the entire brain.

Some neurotransmitters will be tired getting to work.

Others will take shortcuts and get lost.

Betty Hart and Todd Risley studied children's exposure to language.

On average, children from families on welfare were exposed to about 600 words per hour.

Kids from rich families got about 2,000.

By the age of 3, the gap becomes 30 million words.

But it didn't end there.

Children from privileged families received much more positive feedback.

For every 6 words of praise, there was only 1 word of discouragement.

Welfare kids, however, had twice as much discouragements as praise.

This could make a difference that lasts a lifetime.

In a study that began in 1963, psychologist David Weikart and his team randomly divided 123 underprivileged kids into 2 groups.

One group spent 2 years at a top preschool with excellent teachers.

They made art, discussed problems, and received a lot attention, respect, and love.

For the other, life went on as usual, often without much attention from anyone.

40 years later, the HighScope Perry Preschool Study was published.

At age 5, 67% of the children in the top preschool group had an IQ of over 90; they were school-ready.

Of the others, only 28% achieved that.

At 14, there was a big difference in basic classroom achievements.

At 27, the top preschool group were more likely to own their own home.

And at age 40, they earned more money and were less likely to ever be sentenced to jail.

The researchers concluded that the 2 years at preschool nourished the children not only intellectually, but also gave them social skills, courage, and perseverance.

This combination of character strength, also called "grit", was later responsible for their success in life.

The $15,000 invested in putting those kids into preschool later benefited the entire society, mainly through a reduction in crime.

The total return of investment was estimated to be at a $195,000.

In 2006, Nobel Prize winning economist James Heckman published what became known as the "Heckman Curve".

It shows the return of investments in education, which is the highest in the early years.

Governments have since started to act.

In Germany, parents get a lot of financial support to raise their kids.

In Japan, mothers or fathers can take a full year of paid leave.

In France, all children go to kindergarten free of charge.

If you happen to be in charge, know that with every extra minute you spend encouraging and talking to that little troublemaker, you might be doing him a favor for life.

According to the University of Michigan, "Regular family dinners are a stronger predictor of good grades than doing homework."