Attention to every stage of a child's physical, emotional, and educational development is “both critical and vital” (Alison Dunn, 2004). Research shows that the care young children receive has dramatic long-term effects on how children develop and learn, how they cope with stress, and how they react to the world around them. “Science tells us that consistently positive and stimulating experiences in their early years help children's brains grow” (Frank Oberklaid, 2008); it can also influence how they continue to learn later in life. This article will discuss how a child's development is affected by environmental and cultural influences, as well as parenting styles and education. This will be discussed through four topics which include environmental factors such as the socioeconomic environment in which a child is raised, cultural influences, the effect of the four different parenting styles and how education by parents and teachers can also play a significant role. .Environmental FactorsThere are many environmental factors that influence a child's early development (George G. Graham, 1972, pp. 1184-1188). For example, issues such as the type of physical environment in which a child is raised can impact that child's development. These factors, broadly divided into two areas, include their socioeconomic status and the state of the physical environment in which they grow up. The socioeconomic status of the immediate family and the wider community can have a “positive or detrimental” (Understanding the Early Years, 1999) influence on the development of individuals. For example, research has shown that children raised by poor parents and with limited educational qualifications have happy and successful children (Dr. F. Elahi, 2010, p.16). Whereas authoritarian parenting style can produce children who are obedient and competent but who score lower in the areas of self-esteem, social skills and happiness and who are more likely to be aggressive. The permissive parenting style provides no consequences for unacceptable behavior, these children will think they can get away with average effort, they can be angry and demanding when they don't get what they want. Children of uninvolved parents tend to lack self-esteem and the ability to self-regulate; as a result, they are less capable and resilient than other children. Education is essential to early childhood academic development. Children who attend school at an early age are more likely to stay in school and perform better later in academics.