Facts In Action

If we talk about school readiness beginning at age 4, we are ignoring the tremendous growth children engage in from the moment they are born. Our conversations will soon not just be about school readiness, but preschool readiness forewarns a recent report from the Ounce of Prevention fund. Their recent report discusses the importance of early experience to later development, and model government programs linking services for children birth to school entry.

According to the report, more scientific evidence shows that:

• If a child is exposed to few sounds, sights, and colors, and less language, touch, and interaction with adults during infancy, then the child may attain a lower I.Q. than expected.
• If a child does not receive the proper care and attention during infancy, then he or she is more likely to lack confidence in the classroom, limiting their ability to succeed. For at-risk children, or babies born into families facing social, economic, or psychological risks, this applies even more as intervention at birth increases their social/ emotional stability and lessens the chances of them engaging in criminal behavior later in life.

Taking this into account, federal and state governments are starting to implement programs that target infants and toddlers and are continuous with programs for children age 4-5. In the report, Ounce of Prevention examines the federal program Early Head Start, which was created from Head Start funds "set aside" to serve infants and toddlers. Now, the two programs together provide children ages birth-to-five with early education, health care, and nutrition services. In addition, Illinois and California are adopting programs and passing legislation that offer similar early education and health services for children ages birth-to-five and their parents. According to the report, these initiatives can serve as useful models for future federal, state, and local early childhood programs.

Source: Ounce of Prevention Fund (2004) Ready for School: The Case for Including Babies and Toddlers as We Expand Preschool Opportunities
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/downloads/
publications/ready_for_school.pdfEditor's Note: this url is no longer active.

Facts in Action, October 2004