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

3. 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.

4. 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. 

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

6. 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.

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

8. 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.

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

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. “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

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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. There are only 2000 days to get it right.

18. Experiences Build Brain Architecture
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19. 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.

20. 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.  

21. 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

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

23. Build a Strong Foundation
Good Health
Strong families
Quality learning experiences

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.

29. Early Investments: ROI
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30. First Community Connection
A child’s first connection to their larger community is often their place of worship.

31. 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.

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

33. 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.

34. 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 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

35. For more information about the First 2000 Days
Lisa Finaldi
@lisafinaldi
@ncecf
NC Early Childhood Foundation
(919)