Transcript Early Childhood: Investments and Interagency

Coming Together for
Young Children and
Families
What we know
Where we have been
Where we are today
Where we need to go
What we know
 Biology and experience, nature and
nurture
 The growth of self regulation as a
cornerstone of early childhood
development across domains of
behavior
 Relationships as the building blocks of
human development
Vulnerability and resilience,
risk and protective factors
The course of development
can be altered in early
childhood by effective
interventions……
Source: From Neurons to Neighborhoods
A Child’s Developmental Trajectory Can Be Modified With
Appropriate Interventions
Children’s Development
Risk Factors
Optimal
Impaired
Protective
Factors
0
Age
Source: Edward L Schor, MD
The Commonwealth Fund
Social Transformation for
Families
 Changes in nature, schedule and
amount of work engaged in by parents of
young children
 More children spending time in child
care, starting at a young age, quality
varies
 Distance from other family members
Increasing cultural diversity
Persistence of disparities
 High levels of economic
hardships among families
Exposure to stress
Percent of Children Living in Poverty, 1980-2009
30
20
15
10
5
All Children
Ages 0-5
Ages 6-17
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements
20
08
20
06
20
04
20
02
20
00
19
98
19
96
19
94
19
92
19
90
19
88
19
86
19
84
19
82
0
19
80
Percent
25
School readiness by mother’s education level
100
Percentage of First-time Kindergartners Demonstrating Positive
Indicators of School Readiness by Mother's Education Level,
1998
Less than high school
86
90
79
80
69
70
Percent
High school diploma/GED
61
57
60
Some college, including
vocational/technical
College degree or more
50
46
50
40
39
38
32
30
31
22
20
10
0
Reading proficiency
Mathematics proficiency
Fine motor skills
Source: Child Trends and Center for Health Research. (2004). Early Child Development in Social Context.
Data from K. Denton, E. Germino-Hausken, and J. West (project officer), America's Kindergartners, NCES
2000-070, (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2000).
Policies and Early Childhood Development
Early Care
Education
Health,
Nutrition
and Mental
Health
Family
Support and
Child
Protection
Family and
Community
Well Being
Where we have been:
looking back on progress
Maternal and Child Health
Head Start and Early Head
Start
Child Care and Development
Fund
Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment
 Family and Medical Leave
 Child Support and Fatherhood
 Children’s Health Insurance Program
 Family Preservation and Support
 States as laboratories of innovation
 State Pre K expansion
Where we are today
Health and Education
Prenatal to age eight
Prevention and health access
Evidence based policies
Place based strategies
Moving from diverse programs
to more systems approach
 Governance
 Program standards
 Early learning standards
 Professional development
 Family engagement
 Health promotion
 Data systems
Expansion and quality
improvements in child care,
Head Start and Early Head Start
through the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act
Maternal, Infant and Early
Childhood Home Visiting
Program
Looking Forward……seven
steps to change
Step up efforts to support
families
 Improve parent child relationship
 Include fathers, grandparents, foster
parents, extended family, unite the
generations
 Provide time, information and networks
of support
 Meet families where they are
 Build the higher education capacity to
focus on families
Have high expectations for
children
 Joy
 Order
 Persistence
 Curiosity
 Language and math
 Compassion
 ……………………………………….
Put in place the key elements of
effective programs
 Positive teacher-caregiver/ child
interactions
 Mentoring and working conditions
 Intentional use of data/feedback to guide
practice
 Infrastructure of support for families,
health and mental health promotion
Create early learning
communities
 Governance
 Data
During pregnancy and at birth
At three years old
At five years old
At the end of third grade
 Quality assurance system
 Linkages with schools
Continue to find evidence
 What are the key elements that lead to
improved child outcomes in early
childhood programs?
 How can the gains be sustained over
time/ how does one program build on
another?
 What is the impact of media and
technology on young children and family
relationships?
Build the next generation
of leaders
 Leaders that understand research,
practice and policy
 Leaders that reflect the languages and
the cultures of the children we serve
 Leaders that understand the importance
of a round table.
Take care of yourself
 Your health
Your family
Your friends
 Your spirit
“In the final analysis, healthy child
development is dependent on a combination
of individual responsibility, informal social
supports, and formalized structures that
evolve within a society.”
p. 337 From Neurons to Neighborhoods