It’s more than the wraparound services—it’s a wraparound community where the pathways to good outcomes are clear because there are a set of norms and a culture that promotes children’s success. It is about putting into a place a coherent system of early care and education that is aligned, integrated, and coordinated with what kids need from birth through the end of third grade.
How do we do that?
Supporting successful parenting is part of the answer. In the early years, parents are the first, most significant and most enduring influence in giving their children the right start and putting them on a path for success. What we’re learning about how children’s brains develop in the first years of life means we have to appreciate even more how parents are their children’s principal brain developer. If we want to close the readiness gap, we have to invest in learning early, to ensure high quality learning experiences begin at birth. That means making sure parents, guardians, extended family members, and caregivers get from their communities the information and tools they need to nurture children’s full and healthy development. And, as the Data Snapshot notes, we also have to support parent’s economic stability and emotional health if we want them to be fully engaged in their children’s learning every day.
http://prospect.org/article/stress-poverty-and-childhood-reading-gap
Comments (0)