Coming Together for Young Children and Families

What we knowWhere we have beenWhere we are todayWhere 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

Ch

ildre

n’s

Dev

elo

pm

ent

Age0

Risk FactorsRisk Factors

Protective Protective FactorsFactors

A Child’s Developmental Trajectory Can Be Modified With A Child’s Developmental Trajectory Can Be Modified With Appropriate InterventionsAppropriate Interventions

Optimal

Impaired

Source: Edward L Schor, MDThe 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 familiesExposure to stress

Percent of Children Living in Poverty, 1980-2009

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements

Per

cen

t

All Children Ages 0-5 Ages 6-17

An uneven startSES Difference at Start of K

-0.55

-0.22

0

0.25

0.69

-0.47

-0.17

0.27

0.7

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

lowest second third fourth fifth

Income Quintile

Stan

dard

Dev

iatio

n Un

its

Math

Reading

School readiness by mother’s education level

Percentage of First-time Kindergartners Demonstrating Positive Indicators of School Readiness by Mother's Education Level,

1998

3832

22

5750

31

69

61

39

8679

46

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Reading proficiency Mathematics proficiency Fine motor skills

Pe

rce

nt

Less than high school

High school diploma/GED

Some college, includingvocational/technicalCollege degree or more

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).

Early Care Education

Health, Nutrition

and Mental Health

Family Support and

Child Protection

Policies and Early Childhood Development

Family and

Community

Well Being

Where we have been: looking back on progress

Maternal and Child HealthHead Start and Early Head

StartChild Care and Development

FundChild 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

Health and EducationPrenatal to age eightPrevention and health accessEvidence based policiesPlace based strategies

Where we are today

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