Faith Leaders Impact a Child’s Spiritual Growth and Brain Growth

Why Should You Care? National Security Global Competitiveness Economic Well-Being Crime Reduction Thriving Communities If you care about these issues, you care about child development.

Don’t Take My Word For It Military, business leaders and law enforcement officers, under the organization Council for a Strong America, are calling for greater investments to ensure our national security, reduce crime and to keep us globally competitive. 

National Security Retired admirals and generals say our national security depends on early childhood investments. www.strongnation.org/missionreadiness Brigadier General (Ret.) Jim Walker, U.S. Marine Corps, reads to kids alongside Congresswoman Virginia Foxx at a pre-K classroom in Boone.

23% of high school graduates in NC who take the Armed Forces Qualification Test score too low to join the Army. 70% of Americans of 17 to 24 cannot meet the military’s eligibility requirements.

Crime Prevention Over 5,000 law enforcement leaders across the nation say high-quality early childhood education is a key strategy to reduce crime. www.strongnation.org/fightcrime

more likely to become chronic criminal offenders by age 27. At-risk children that didn’t attend quality pre-k were 5 times more likely to become chronic criminal offenders by age 27.

Economic Prosperity The national Business Roundtable says a thriving economy depends on a strong foundation for children through quality education at an early age.

Close to half of NC employers reported deficiencies in critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. AND 60% of NC employers reported gaps in communications skills.

Faith National faith-based organizations such as Shepherding the Next Generation and the Children’s Defense Fund are advocating for greater investments in early care and learning.

“My faith calls me to ensure that each child in every community has the opportunity to become the very best person God has created him or her to be.” Reverend Tommy James, First Baptist Church Burnsville, North Carolina

Why do they care? To understand why they care, we need to talk about how brains and children develop. 

of the only organs not fully developed at birth. The brain is one of the only organs not fully developed at birth. Brain architecture is forming during a child’s early years.

Brains are built, not born Synapses, forming at MORE THAN ONE MILLION per second, connect brain cells that influence everything from intellectual capacity to problem solving to language.

There are only 2000 days to get it right.

Experiences Build Brain Architecture Click the picture of the video. It will open the video in YouTube. Requires a wireless connection! If you’d like the actual movie file, please contact us at ncecf@buildthefoundation.org. http://youtu.be/VNNsN9IJkws http://youtu.be/VNNsN9IJkws

Early experiences build brain architecture Brains are built, not born. There is rapid growth, then the brain prunes. Connections that are used a lot are strengthened; those that are not, pruned. This process shapes how brains are wired.

More than academics As essential as they are, we aren’t born with the skills that enable us to control impulses, make plans, and stay focused. We are born with the potential to develop these capacities.  

Learning to play with others Making up games and rules Learning to follow rules Early exploration Language skills and improved teamwork Negotiation skills Sound ethics Creative thinking and problem solving

We know What works! There is decades of research and numerous studies, including longitudinal randomized trials with more than 40 years of data.

Build a Strong Foundation Good Health Strong families Quality learning experiences  

High Quality Early Learning NC 3rd graders have higher standardized reading and math scores and lower special education placement rates in counties that received more funding for Smart Start and More at Four (NC PreK) when those children were younger.

High Quality Early Learning High quality early childhood programs increase high school graduation rates by as much as 44%. A 5% increase in male high school graduation rates is estimated to save North Carolina $153 million per year in incarceration rates. Participants in high quality early childhood programs have higher earnings, pay more taxes and are less likely to rely on government assistance.

Good Health Children that participated in a high quality early learning program that included health screenings and nutrition components had better adult health and less chronic disease, including lower levels of hypertension, metabolic and syndrome and obesity in their mid-30s.

Strong Families Home visiting programs - voluntary programs provided by qualified professionals to parents, prenatally and/or with young children – reduce health care costs, improve school readiness and success, reduce need for remedial education and increase family self- sufficiency.

Early Investments: ROI Click the picture of the video. It will open the video in YouTube. Requires a wireless connection! If you’d like the actual movie file, please contact us at ncecf@buildthefoundation.org. http://youtu.be/g9E2slx9tgo http://heckmanequation.org/content/resource/why-early-investment-matters

First Community Connection A child’s first connection to their larger community is often their place of worship.

People Listen When faith leaders speak about the need for all children to have the early experiences they need to thrive, people listen. Pastor Jerry Lewis from Grace for All Church in Marion, NC gave a First 2000 Days sermon series to his congregation.

NC Faith Leaders Are: Supporting Parents Promoting High Quality Early Childhood Programs Promoting Literacy Create Community Impact

Brains are built, not born. Birth to 8 is a critical developmental period. Children’s earliest experiences shape how their brains are wired creating either a strong or weak foundation for all future learning. End of third grade outcomes predict academic and career success. We know what works.

Act Now! It’s Easy! Talk with one person this week about the importance of the early years for children and our state. Sign the commitment to young children at www.first2000days.org and encourage others to do the same! Host a presentation for your congregation. Keep up-to-date on issues impacting young children by signing up for First 2000 days alerts www.first2000days.org.

For more information about the First 2000 Days Lisa Finaldi lfinaldi@buildthefoundation.org @lisafinaldi www.first2000days.org www.facebook.com/first2000days @ncecf NC Early Childhood Foundation www.buildthefoundation.org (919) 987-1370