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"The arc of history bends slowly, but it bends towards justice."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is exciting that expansion of preschool is a topic of conversation from the White House, to City Hall, to the front page of major newspapers. Public and political awareness is finally catching up with what early brain and economic science has demonstrated for years: assuring that young children are healthy and ready for kindergarten is the best investment we can make. The data is also clear that the United States is far behind the curve. We are squandering human potential on a grand scale, and this requires both urgent and long-term action. Brain development is the most rapid in the first years, and so much of children's chances in life are driven by the home environment. This means we must focus on high quality programs for children AND simultaneously assure that parents are supported in their role as their child's first teacher. As the New York Times and Atlantic articles below point out, focusing on preschool is not enough. We must change the trajectory of children's lives from the day they are born. This is what Reach Out and Read does, using doctors to support parents and children together. This rapidly scalable, evidence-based program can improve child outcomes right now on a large scale using the health care system. It's imperative that population-level changes occur quickly, because even as we plan to increase investments and build new infrastructure for important programs, far too many children are falling behind each and every day.
Last week I was in Washington, DC for an amazing meeting focused on this very issue, and the first 1000 days of life (see below).Despite the reality of gridlock in "the other Washington," visiting there is still inspiring. As I chatted with an Ethiopian-born cabdriver about his dreams for his children, I saw the Jefferson Memorial, and then the Washington Monument, and then the Capitol come into view. It was awe inspiring. I arrived in time to walk to the Mall before dark, where people were walking their dogs, running, and chatting, just as we see at parks in towns across Washington. Yet this is also the backdrop of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech, and so many important moments in our nation's history.
I ended my trip with a visit to Ford's Theater where President Lincoln was shot, a sobering place to be, but also a National Park Site, and a place to learn more about the life of this complex man. I saw drawings showing the Washington Monument as a "stub" as its construction halted due to lack of funds mid-project, just like the gaping holes we had until recently around Seattle. The home-turned-museum across the street where Lincoln died holds a 3-story tower of books that have been written about him! It reminded me of the brass sculpture of Lincoln reading a book in Springfield that had so moved my children, when we visited the Lincoln home and library. This great man became self-educated primarily by burying his nose in books, and his children were the center of his world.
In the 48 hours I was in our nation's capitol I had this overwhelming feeling that the struggles we currently face--for justice and equal opportunity starting in the earliest days of life--are intimately connected with the history of this nation in our most challenging moments. The ties from Lincoln to Martin Luther King, Jr., men who loved their children and focused on supporting them even as they took on seemingly impossible tasks to create a better future for all children, are right in front of us. And on this Valentine's Day we are reminded that it is love that nurtures and supports learning, and love that breaks down barriers to opportunity. There is nothing more powerful than parental love combined with books and an understanding of how to promote language and literacy skills at home; except perhaps our collective power to change the world, starting now. We're in this together. And together, we must act.
Jill Sells, MD and the Reach Out and Read Washington Team
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REACH OUT AND READ IN THE NATIONAL NEWS
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Articles highlight the important role Reach Out and Read plays in supporting parents and their young children as part of the early learning system.
Soon after President Obama spoke about preschool in the State of The Union Address, a New York Times article "The Great Pre-K Debate" by Nicholas Kristof highlighted Reach Out and Read:
"Of course, what we need in America isn't "pre-k" narrowly but broad investment in young children, and that's what Obama proposes. Programs like Nurse-Family Partnership or Reach Out and Read that coach low-income parents on reading to their kids and other parenting skills seem to have a particularly powerful long-term impact."
The next day a feature in The Atlantic, "Early Childhood Education: Lots of Talk, but Not Much Action (Yet)" also pointed to the importance of supporting parents:
"... there is also a greater focus on engaging families, with new programs such as Reach Out and Read, the University of Chicago's Thirty Million Words Initiative, and the Obama Administration's Promise Neighborhoods program. These programs offer innovative strategies to support student success and help parents build better professional prospects and play a more active role in their community. Specifically, one of the brightest spots over the last five years is the expansion of proven programs to help new mothers nurture the development of their babies."
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EARLY LANGUAGE AND LITERACY NATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS MEETING GENERATES MOMENTUM
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Event highlights opportunity for national-state local collaborations. On February 3rd, the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and First Book convened a gathering of select public and private national stakeholders to discuss shared commitments and innovations that promote early language and literacy by strengthening parents as first teachers and by building the local communities around them. Dr. David Willis, Director of HRSA's Early Childhood Systems and Home Visiting Division, and Susan Hildreth, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, did a wonderful job convening both federal and private partners to discuss how we can further align and collaborate to support children and families during those critical first 1,000 days.
Reach Out and Read Washington State Director Dr. Jill Sells and National Medical Director Dr. Perri Klass were among those invited to present during a section called "Exemplary Initiative Highlights." Hearing about Reach Out and Read partnerships alongside other national initiatives like Mind in the Making, Too Small to Fail, and the work of the Bezos Family Foundation was very exciting. Layering this with insights from state systems building efforts, including Help Me Grow and the Build Initiative, both of which we partner with in Washington State, also inspired continued excitement around this work. We will collectively be carrying this work forward into action, and reconvening in May.
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Dr. Sells and Congressman McDermott
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Dr. Sells used the opportunity to visit with our federal delegation and share insights from the meeting, as well as to thank them for their leadership in early learning. Congressman McDermott is a physician, a Reach Out and Read supporter, and the lead on the federal Home Visiting legislation. He was pleased to hear about the growing connections between health and early learning.
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PEDIATRICIANS FOCUS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD
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Annual meeting of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics highlights early learning research, policy, and partnerships. Pediatrician advocates gathered in Olympia on February 7 to meet with legislators, to advocate, and to learn and strategize ways to connect research, policy, and practice to improve outcomes for children across the state. The afternoon focused on Nurturing Human Potential: How the Science Behind Early Brain Development Drives Policy Possibilities for Linkages to the Medical Home.
A highlight of the day was a panel discussion convened by Dr. Maxine Hayes, pediatrician, recently retired Washington State Health Officer, and former co-chair of the Early Learning Advisory Council. Representative Ruth Kagi, Department of Early Learning Director Bette Hyde, Thrive by Five Washington CEO Sam Whiting, and Rebecca Timmen, lead for Washington's Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems effort within the Department of Health, shared insights on how science informs their work. Read Sam's comments in Partnering with Pediatricians in Our Early Learning System to learn more.
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EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP RELEASES 2014 PRIORITIES
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Early Literacy and Reach Out and Read Show Progress, Continued Focus. The Department of Early Learning, Thrive by Five Washington and OSPI released the Early Learning Partnership 2013 Key Accomplishments and 2014 Priority Strategies for the Early Learning Plan. Because early language development and literacy skills are critical to future success in school, there is a focus on increasing use of research-based early literacy programs and practices by parents, families, caregivers and early learning professionals. The ELP and this annual document provide concrete commitment to strategy, action, and accountability. Reach Out and Read is pleased to help lead this strategy forward for Washington's youngest children, as outlined in the document:
What we did in 2013: Legislature continued funding for DEL to
contract with Reach Out and Read, Washington's evidence-based parent engagement and early literacy program. Reach Out and Read reached 1,263 medical providers in 146 medical practices in 31 counties.
Actions planned for 2014: Continue to support Reach Out and Read as a key parent engagement and early learning strategy. Develop multi-year strategy with Reach Out and Read focused on addressing opportunity gap through a statewide system of high quality, sustainable programs.
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REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON STATE ON FACEBOOK
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Follow Reach Out and Read Washington State on Facebook for early literacy news, reading tips, and brain research information. Please LIKE us and suggest our Facebook page to your friends to help us spread our message about early literacy. Thanks!
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ABOUT REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON STATE
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Reach Out and Read helps prepare children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Our evidence-based proven program leverages the influence of children's doctors and makes literacy a standard part of well-child checkups from ages 6 months through 5 years. Reach Out and Read supports parents as their child's first teacher and helps children be ready for kindergarten.
Through 164 programs in 31 counties, 1,400 medical providers serve an estimated 94,000 children and their families across Washington. Reach Out and Read Washington State is a Regional Office of Reach Out and Read, Inc., a national not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email - washington@reachoutandread.org
Telephone - 206-524-3579
Fax - 206-524-4768
Address - 155 NE 100th Street - Suite 301, Seattle WA 98125
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