Week of the Young Child
April 13-19, 1997

Early Years Are Learning Years -- Make them count!

During the early years -- birth through age 8 -- every moment is an opportunity for children to learn more about the world around them, to practice social skills, and to develop their critical thinking and knowledge. These early years lay the foundation for all later learning and shape whether children succeed in school and later in life.

This April 13-19, plan and participate in Week of the Young Child activities in your community. Distribute this release to parents and the general public, and check out NAEYC's Web site (http://www.naeyc.org/) for a new Early Years are Learning Years release every day from Monday through Friday. Help show everyone in your community how to make the early years count.

What young children need

• Families who have the resources necessary to keep their children safe, healthy, and properly nourished. Financial security helps to ensure a safe home and good nutrition for children. Access to health care, including prevention programs, means that mothers can receive adequate prenatal care and that children can get all recommended immunizations. This can help prevent needless illness and the costly problems associated with low birth weight.
• Families who have the emotional resources and time to give children the attention they deserve.
• Programs that provide the education and care appropriate to children's ages and individual needs -- both to help keep parents employed and to promote children's development and learning.
• A society that supports families' child-rearing efforts and recognizes that investments in young children and comprehensive, high-quality, early childhood services are more cost effective than remediation or incarceration.

What must be done

1. Take the time to really watch, listen to, and appreciate children in your family and community.

   If you have children at home, rediscover the wonder of the early years by spending extra time with little ones. If you don't have young children at home, volunteer to read or simply be with children in programs sponsored by a local library, school, child care or preschool program, or other organization.

2. Help to make sure that children receive the preventive health services so vital to their health and development.

   Take part in any of the national campaigns designed to ensure that children get the immunizations recommended by doctors and health officials.

3. Help early education and care programs improve the quality of services provided to children.

   Volunteer your time and/or your expertise in making improvements in structures or services that will improve the lives of children in your community. Explore how your service organization, religious group, or social club can help assist local early childhood programs.

4. Do what you can to make your state and community more attuned to children's needs.

   Encourage local employers or businesses to provide flexible scheduling, parental leave, or child care assistance for families with young children. Establish funds to assist community-based, early childhood programs to better recruit and retain qualified staff or to purchase developmentally appropriate classroom materials for these programs as well as local kindergarten and primary grade classrooms. Support public officials who demonstrate that they will take actions to provide better services for young children and families. Make it a priority to consider candidates' track records on children's issues before voting in any election.

Make these actions a priority for yourself and encourage others to take similar actions. Remember, your efforts will help to make sure that every young child enjoys a childhood that will prepare her or him to be successful in school and later in life. Let's help make the early years count.