We’ve known for some time now that the first years of a child’s life constitute a very important period for the development of that child’s brain. Because the brain is responsible for cognition, language, movement, emotion, self-regulation, and essentially every aspect of human behavior, it stands to reason that optimizing those first few years can have a significant impact on the rest of that child’s life.
In this episode, Kennedy Krieger CEO and President Brad Schlaggar will be joined by colleagues Marcella Franczkowski, Assistant VP, and Executive Director of PACT, Sharon Holloway-Gentemann, the Director of PACT World of Care, Dr. Jackie Stone, Chief Clinical Officer as well as Sarah Monaghan, a parent of a graduate of PACT. The discussion focuses on how early childhood programs help optimize developmental outcomes, and will also look at some of the challenges faced by these programs and why such programs are so worthy of enhanced societal investment.
Resources to visit:
Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children www.dec-sped.org
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Developmental Milestones Checklist and Family Guidance from Early Head Start
NAEYC – Questions to Ask Your Child Care – checklist
Children's Defense Fund-State of America's Children 2023--Early Education
Kaiser Family Foundation: Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers*