From the Board Chairperson

You’ve probably heard many times that the positive results of an early education can last throughout the lifetime of a child.  What you may not know is that high quality early education programs are beneficial to all of us—children, parents, and the community at large. 

Research shows us that children with a background that includes high quality early education and care are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school.  Also, for every dollar spent on quality early learning programs, it is estimated that society saves more than $7 in future costs for special education, public assistance, delinquency and prison programs.  We have also learned that communities in support of quality programs for young children become healthier, stronger and safer communities. 

Our board is comprised of members with expertise in the areas of child development, education, public assistance, healthcare, finance, marketing, and representatives from other private sector businesses. Together with Coalition staff and a host of community partners, we are dedicated to helping link families to early education programs, providing training and support for local child care providers, and promoting positive practices in programs for our youngest citizens.

According to an old Chinese proverb, “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”  Believing this to be true, our hope is to be instrumental in making the early learning experience one that will bring success both to our children now and throughout their lives and success to our community.

Jill B. Sport | Chairperson

 

 

Case Study

The Inclusion Specialist observed a young boy who was very distant and refused to interact with the other children in the center he attended. He was in a class with children a year younger than his age and was still scared of the children around him. He would often hide under the slide on the playground or run away from his classroom. With intervention from the Inclusion staff who worked with the parents and provider, during subsequent observations, the boy stuck very close to the teacher, but was playing outside and was involved in the classroom. He continued to improve and moved into a VPK classroom where he began to increase his interaction with the other children and overall participation in classroom. At times he served as line leader, became more talkative, and appeared happy. Although his inclusion case remained open at the end of the fiscal year, Coalition intervention was instrumental in making this child’s early learning experience a more successful one.

 

Case Study

A three-year-old child was unable to eat and cried at meal times due to severe dental issues. The child care director called the Coalition nurse for an evaluation. The nurse worked with the child care center to develop a menu for the child and to keep the child’s nutritional intake at an adequate level. After some investigating, the nurse realized the parents had no access to dental insurance. The parents also were unaware of the importance of “baby teeth” and did not know they needed dental care. The child received the dental care needed and the nurse provided education to the parents on the importance of dental care in young children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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