Importance of Early Child Development
Among the $350,000 granted for education and student achievement in the 2010 competitive new grants process, nearly $100,000 was awarded to Achievement First, Higher Heights and the Gesell Institute of Human Development. Funding for the Gesell Institute supported its LEAD Conference and the formation of the Gesell Think Tank Policy Work Group. Focusing on education reform, the Work Group emphasizes the importance of early child development to long-term school success.
The Community Foundation believes in taking a holistic approach to ensuring children’s healthy development and readiness for school. Over the past decade alone it has funded family daycare centers and programs, invested in parental literacy and engagement activities, helped develop quality standards for early childhood education, supported a pre-k vision screening program and developed strategies to ensure that children and families have medical homes.
In keeping with this focus, The Community Foundation was proud to sponsor the Gesell Institute’s national LEAD (Learn, Educate, Advocate, Do!) Conference in 2010 to help raise awareness about the current education crisis in the US and the importance of early childhood education in academic success. The Conference drew hundreds of educators, psychologists, researchers, medical professionals, superintendents, legislators and other key-decision makers and community stakeholders from around the country.
The Gesell Institute is renowned for its longitudinal and data collection work. Most recently, the Institute coordinated a national effort to collect baseline and exploratory data between 2008-2010. Schools from around the country were recruited to participate and data has been collected from over 1,350 children, families, and teachers from each region of the US. A report will be issued in the Fall of 2011 providing current information and updated trends indicating what children can and cannot do at various developmental stages.
View videos of the Gesell LEAD Conference: Part 1 & Part 2.