Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Commissioner
Jane Campbell poses for a picture with T. Berry Brazelton, MD, at the April
17 White House symposium on early childhood development. Brazelton is professor
emeritus of pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School and also hosts "What
Every Baby Knows" on the Lifetime cable TV channel. Photo by Joan Brown
Campbell.
The importance of early childhood development and ways that parents, community organizations and government can help young children get off to a strong and healthy start was the focus of the April 17 White House Conference on Early Childhood Development and Learning.
The daylong event spotlighted the latest research about how children develop during the first three years of life and explored the public policy implications of this research for local, state and federal government officials.
NACo was represented at the conference by Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Commissioner Jane L. Campbell. Campbell, who, prior to her election to the county commission, served in the Ohio legislature for 12 years, chaired Ohio's House Committee on Children and Youth and the Oversight Committee on Abused, Neglected and Dependent Children. She also served on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Donna Shalala's Advisory Committee on Services to Families with Infants and Toddlers.
At the White House conference, new scientific findings were discussed which show that experiences during the first three years of life have a dramatic impact on brain development.
Surrounded by scientists, child care experts and policy-makers, President Clinton summarized the findings: "We all know that every child needs proper nutrition and access to health care, a safe home and environment. We know every child needs teaching, reading and playing, singing and talking." The scientific research, however, demonstrates that this type of social interaction and nurturing is critical to a child's physical brain development and ultimately their social development.
Mrs. Clinton stated that - much of the data supports what many parents inherently knew - that reading, playing, singing and cooing to children makes a difference. These experiences can determine whether children will grow up to be peaceful or violent citizens, focused or undedicated workers, attentive or detached parents."
Much of the White House conference focused on the practical applications of this scientific research on the brain, particularly for parents and caregivers. Additionally, the conference was also intended to be a call for action to all members of society - including the health, business, media and faith communities, child care providers and government - to use this information to strengthen America's families.
In a number of states, strong state-county collaborative partnerships have been designed that focus on the importance of early child development, using the county as the major service provider.
In North Carolina, for instance, county-wide collaborations currently exist in many of the state's counties to reach children and their parents at the earliest age to provide education, training and supportive services to ensure that infants and toddlers have a healthy start.
In Oregon, nearly all of the state's 36 counties have established Children and Family Commissions that provide a full continuum of services to children of all ages, but with special emphasis on the first years of life.
Among those who spoke, along with the President and Mrs. Clinton, about the research and what it means to us as a nation was Dr. David Hamburg, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Carnegie produced Starting Points, a study on early childhood development.
The report says that among the most industrialized nations, the United States has a "higher infant mortality rate, a higher proportion of low-birth weight babies, a smaller proportion of babies immunized against childhood diseases and a much higher rate of babies born to adolescent mothers.
"The risks are clearer than ever before," the report continues, "An adverse environment can compromise a young child's brain function and overall development, placing him or her at greater risk of developing a variety of cognitive, behavioral and physical difficulties. In some cases, these effects may be irreversible. But the opportunities are equally dramatic: adequate pre- and post-natal care, dependable caregivers, and strong community support can prevent damage and provide a child with a decent start in life."
Many counties have implemented a variety of programs that assist young children and their families through:
Campbell maintains that "county commissioners have some of the same bully pulpit opportunities as the president does in our local communities. I would like to go back home and try to put together a community meeting that raises these same [early childhood] issues in our context - using experts from the community - that's something that counties all over the country can do. In most states, implementation of welfare reform rests on the county's shoulders. The county is the front door to services and we need to use that initial gatekeeper activity. The real change when we are looking at welfare reform is that our gatekeeper activity ought to be to find and identify the services that the family needs."
Clinton announced several policy initiatives that the Administration will seek to address concerning the needs of early childhood development. They are:
A related resource for those interested in helping children is the KidsCampaigns Web site <http://www.kidscampaigns.org>. This online resource directs people to points in their community where they can act to support the "five critical resources" outlined by the president's summit: mentor, protect, nurture, teach and serve.
Copies of the Carnegie Corporation report on early childhood development, "Starting Points," are available for $10. Contact: Carnegie Corporation of New York, P.O. Box 753, Waldorf, MD 20604; phone: 212/371-3200.