The Grow America Strong campaign recently conducted a nationwide poll. The campaign has issued a set of findings using infographics. Consider sharing these data points as you communicate with others about investing in early childhood education. Let us know what you think about the figures. Do they surprise you? Depress you? Give you hope? There’s also an online petition at “Grow America Stronger” affirming President Obama’s early childhood initiative. Your voice matters as momentum grows for this critical national investment.
WECA 
What does giving children a “strong start mean?” What age does this start?
Thanks for your question. Typically, early childhood is defined as infancy through age 5-6 –the span of time before a child enters kindergarten. During this time a child develops rapidly on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. Neuroscientists have discovered, for example, that a child develops 700 brain synapses per second in the first few years of life. Consequently, for optimal development, young children need healthy, consistent relationships and activities that stimulate learning such as play, music, language and art, This is true for children being cared for at home as well as those in child care programs. In Wisconsin, over 70% of children receive child care of some sort. For more information on early childhood development visit the Zero to Three website: http://www.zerotothree.org