Since the end of World War II the economics of the workplace and the lack of quality child care encouraged fathers to work and mothers to stay at home while the children were young. Now, however, like my parents even then, mother and father both work, sometimes two jobs.
Roadblocks that separate parents from children need to be overcome. When employees encounter roadblocks, they seem arbitrary, insurmountable, beyond our control: bus schedules; strict factory-floor safety rules; union rules; outside environments or unhealthy conditions for children or uncooperative co-workers.
Given these roadblocks is there a place where business and individual efforts can address them? The need to do so is blatant.
Brain development research shows that at birth the neurons in the brain begin forming “tentative connections.” Through cementing and discarding connections the brain becomes “hardwired.” By age 3, roughly 85% of the brain’s core structure will be formed. Public spending that supports child development, by contrast, is inverted. Public spending averages $1,472 per child per year for children 0-3 years while for children 6-18, it averages $6,567 per child per year: too late.
In 1990, a bipartisan National Education Summit was convened by then-President George H. W. Bush and the National Governor’s Association led by then-Governor Bill Clinton, its first declared goal: By the year 2000, all children will start school ready to learn. We did not make it. So, if public spending is not there and the workplace won’t let nurturing in, what can we do? Take it to the children.
One initiative recognizes the importance of reading to newborns through pre-school age. Annually thousands of children are read The Cat in the Hat near the March 2 birthday of Dr. Seuss. The National Education Association originated the Read Across America program now in its 12th year. The words from The Cat in the Hat were drawn from a vocabulary list for 6- and 7-year-olds. The list was given to Theodor Geisel, best known as Dr. Seuss, by William Spaulding, then the director of Houghton Mifflin's educational division. Even if the words are made up, the sounds are apparently identifiable by the youngest of ears.
It focuses on motivating children to read, in addition to helping them master basic skills. Child development experts seem to agree that for maximum child development, children should be read to as soon after birth as possible.
Businesses can adopt an early childhood development initiative in the workplace -it’s the workforce of the future. Supervisors and employers can utilize various methods to help their employees depending on the demands of the job. Nearly all can clarify the conditions under which employees may leave work to handle family health care involving a child’s medical emergency. Some employers enact “flex time” schedules to accommodate “drop off” times at caregivers or school. Others have even set up a room for on-site day care for the children of employees. Whether a large or small effort, the important first step is to move toward ECD improvement in the workplace.
Charles Ross is the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Smart Start Series
September 3, 2009
Helping children impacts the workplace of the future
- Smart Start Series
-
-
Programs aim to get youngsters on right track
Free or low-cost family programs are crucial to childhood development, local community leaders say. “Anything we can do as a community that stimulates a child’s learning is going to help them, and it’s going to help their family,” said Karen Ulp, coordinator for the Early Care and Education Coalition of Northumberland County.
-
Helping children impacts the workplace of the future
Since the end of World War II the economics of the workplace and the lack of quality child care encouraged fathers to work and mothers to stay at home while the children were young. Now, however, like my parents even then, mother and father both work, sometimes two jobs.
-
Are you ready for kindergarten?
In a few short days our schools will be filled with children laughing, playing, learning, and going to school for the first time. Kindergarten, by design is the final transition from home to a formal academic education.
-
Supportive bosses make for happy families
To get to his former law office in Maryland, Charlie Ross, of Selinsgrove, had to walk through an early childcare development center.
And so he is well aware, he jokes, of the importance for workplaces to be supportive of employees with children.
-
Hospital partners with SUM Child Development for care
LEWISBURG - Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg found a way to become more supportive of its workers with children through a relationship with Snyder, Union Mifflinburg Child Development Inc.
-
Early intervention is key to helping development
What should parents do if they suspect there may be something not quite right about their child’s development?
“Don’t worry—he’ll grow out of it.”
Those comforting words are often offered to parents who are not quite sure whether their child’s behavior is “normal” for his or her age.
-
Short-sighted spending cuts
As Pennsylvania continues to operate without a final budget, one of many sticking points to be resolved is whether early childhood programs will continue to be a priority in the year ahead. While scaling back Pre-K Counts, Head Start, Nurse-Family Partnership, quality childcare and other early childhood investments may save limited dollars now, these are false savings because these programs are shown to reduce the cost of government in the future.
-
There is much parents can do to help children learn
You just brought home your beautiful bundle of joy and as far as you can tell, all your baby does is sleep and eat.
Not so.
-
EDITORIAL: Society will benefit from early childhood education
Today, The Daily Item publishes the first installment in "Smart Start," an occassional series of news stories and opinion pieces authored by local and regional experts on the importance of early childhood education. In a time of scarce public resources and increasing stress on home finances, there are few investments our state and our communities can make that will match the dividends of quality early childhood development.
-
'Toxic stress' effects the brains of children
Living in poverty is a major factor in the development of "toxic stress," which can cause irreversible, negative effects in the brains of children through 5 years old, according to Valley physicians.
-
