Baby What a Brain!

BABY WHAT A BRAIN!

Did you know that...

By a baby's first birthday the brain resembles that of a young adult?
By the second birthday, the cells in the brain are at their peak for learning?
By the third birthday, the brain is 80% developed?

ACCESS TO HEALTHY CHILD CARE IS NOT A LUXURY FOR WORKING FAMILIES.
IT IS ESSENTIAL BRAIN FOOD

Scientists across the country have reached the same conclusions: there is a time scale to brain development and the first three years are the most important.

The brain is becoming wired for life in these early years. The brain eliminates connections or synapses that are seldom or never used in the first years of life. Young children who are not exposed to stimulating rich environments with consistent caregivers who are loving and responsive end up with brains that are literally smaller-by as much as 30%.

The "National Institute of Child Health and Development Study of Early Care" released in April 1997, indicates quality child care helps children grow and learn. Positive care giving by providers who have training in appropriate practices of enriching language and experiences of young children consistently had children who demonstrated the following:

Greater language abilities in children 15, 24 and 36 months,

Higher performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at age 2 and

More school readiness at age 3.

These findings coupled with the early brain development research are documenting successful results. In well designed child care programs that form positive partnerships with parents, glaring deficits in home environments can be overcome. This can be achieved through a combination of consistent care between the home and the child care setting and through parent education that includes the modeling of appropriate parenting techniques.

The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies challenges states to begin to address this issue by adopting the following concrete goals:

By the year 2002...

...every caregiver of children under 24 months of age in our state will have at least 24 hours of training on the importance of early brain development and care giving strategies to support it.
...every parent in our state will have access to information on healthy brain development and effective parenting strategies.
...every parent of an infant in our state will have access to consumer education on how to choose good child care.
...every family in our state will be able to spend less than 10% of their income for quality child care.
...all families in our state will have a variety of child care choices which include staying home with their infants or using quality child care in the community.

ENSURING QUALITY CHILD CARE IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS

What can you do?

Ask your neighborhood child care center or family child care home how you can contribute time or resources to offset the cost of child care.
VOLUNTEER to hold a baby.
Appreciate and support your early childhood caregiver and teacher.
Talk to your employer about ways they can contribute to young children by adopting a nearby child care facility.

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