Whether it's a commercial, or home video...babies are going viral...

"I think it's making people feel a lot more anxious about how their children are going to fare in this kind of world," said Catherine Emihovich, Dean at the University of Florida's College of Education.

A new wave of research is confirming the importance of education during the first few years of a child's life.

"It's thinking about how to use your education differently, how to think about using knowledge differently, how to think about problems differently," said Emihovich.

When it comes to understanding a baby's brain, the University of Florida hopes to lead the way.

This month, UF launched the Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies.

"It's an early learning campus, of researchers and trainers and teachers and children and families to really be able to be immersed in the study" said Patricia Snyder, professor in Early Childhood Studies at UF.

The university's mission- to advance the science and practice of early childhood development and learning.

"Everything from neuron development to neighborhood supports for young children's development and learning," added Snyder.

The new research may help doctors, in the not-too-distant future, identify at-risk kids years earlier than they do now.

"Some of our research will definitely focus on the social emotional foundations for early learning... young children who have challenging behaviors, and effective strategies for supporting children to acquire more positive social and emotional development," said Snyder.