Montana State
University |
Montana State
University |
by Billie Warford
Director, Montana Early Childhood Project, MSU Bozeman, and
Health Start Task Force, Governors' Summit on Youth
04/19/98 BOZEMAN -- There's a crisis among some of Montana's youngest children and their families. But it is a quiet crisis.
Babies seldom make the news. A parent's struggle to balance work and family rarely makes headlines. Even so, the lack of quality early childhood experiences can lead to problems that dramatically impact children, families and their communities.
The upcoming Governors' Summit on Youth is targeting a healthy start in life as one of five critical resources that all youth need. Why is a healthy start in life so important that it has become part of the agenda for the Summit?
New brain research has documented that the experiences of the first three years of life have critical life-long impacts on brain development. A child's first experiences affect the way she feels joy or despair, the way she responds to others in a loving or angry way, her ability to use reason or simply react, and ultimately, who she becomes.
We now know that the brain is remarkably unfinished at birth, and that certain parts of the brain - those that handle thinking and remembering as well as emotional and social behavior - go through critical periods during which appropriate stimulation can actually affect the way children's brains are "wired."
Even though many of the implications of this research are exciting, a danger lies in the possibility that we may "give up" on children who have had less than optimal early experiences. New brain research tells us there are critical periods for certain kinds of brain development, and atrophy can occur when appropriate stimulation is not present at critical periods. However, it is never too late to provide a child with a healthy environment.
Babies need to be held, touched and talked to. Parents and caregivers should have a good understanding of child development and the behaviors specific to ages and stages, providing stimulation that is individual and age appropriate.
Parents are the first and most important caregivers in a child's life, but they cannot always be at home with their children. It is essential to ensure choices for parents in their selection of child care. 'One size fits all' does not fit Montana's families, who don't all work the same hours or face the same economic pressures. Parents must be empowered with information to enable them to become good parents and good consumers. Young people need comprehensive health care and education for a healthy start in life. Health or nutritional problems can be prevented or managed so Montana families, particularly those participating in efforts to reform welfare and assist families to become self-sufficient. Given what we now know about the developing brain, we must be concerned about the environment in which our youngest children are spending their days.
Children who attend good early childhood programs have greater success in school, greater social and emotional competence, and improved physical health. Good child care is an essential ingredient for positive outcomes and serves as a good prevention measure for a variety of potential future problems. Programs such as Head Start, with its emphasis on education, health, social services and family involvement demonstrates that high quality child care positively affects a child's self-image and his/her school readiness.
The problems facing our youngest children and their families cannot be solved through piecemeal efforts, nor can they be solved by governmental programs and business initiatives alone. However, working together, Montanans can help our youngest children get the decent start they deserve. This is the goal of the Governors' Summit on Youth.
Governors' Summit on Youth Held in Billings
The Governors' Summit on Youth: Montana's Promise will be held June 14 - 16, 1998 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Billings. The Summit will challenge communities to provide our most vulnerable youth with access to critical resources needed for healthy development. Funds for the Summit are being raised privately. If you would like to contribute, contact Marilyn Frasier at (406) 444-4173. For more information on the Summit, contact Kirk Astroth, Summit coordinator, at (406) 994-3501 or visit our web site at: http://www.mt.gov/mcsn
Send questions or comments to carolf@montana.edu.
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