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Mission:
To work collaboratively to improve the lives of young children
in Missoula County by:
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Increasing community awareness of the
importance of early childhood development
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Providing information and resources for
families and professionals
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Supporting the
physical, social, emotional, and cognitive health of children, prenatal
to six.
Download:
Early Literacy Resources Brochure
(pdf)
News and Research
Updates are
posted and archived here:
www.blog.missoulaforum.org |
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Families and Learning
Conference, August 7-8, Missoula
Sponsored by WORD's Parent Information Resource
Center
(which provides financial support to Healthy Start)
$150 registration fee includes breakfast and lunch both
days
Keynote speakers are:
T. Berry Brazelton, MD and
Joshua D. Sparrow, MD from the Touchpoints Approach to Development
Bliss Browne from Imagine
Chicago
Anna Whiting Sorrell, Policy
Advisor on Families to Governor Schweitzer
Workshops will focus on early
learning, school readiness, parent leadership, and
school-family-community partnerships. Workshops include: Thale Dillon
on “School Readiness: How Do We Count Progress?”; Sue Forrest on
“Bonding and Attachment: A Lifespan Perspective”; Dan McMannis on
“Parenting from the Heart, EFT for Improving Behavior and Multiple
Intelligences”; Lisa Murphy on “Montana Early Learning Guidelines and
Family Fun Activities”; Cindy O’Dell and Mary Rudolf on “Your Baby’s
Brain: Wider than the Big Sky, A True Treasure”; Jamie Palagi on “The
Economic Impact of Early Childhood Education”; Lucy Hart Paulson on
“Early Language and Literacy: Phonics and Phonological Awareness”;
Mandy Smoker-Broaddus on “The Equality of Educational Opportunity and
the Achievement Gap in Montana”; and Suzanne Sterrett on “What To Do
When You Suspect a Developmental Delay.”
To register, go to
http://www.montanapirc.com/Upcoming_Events/2008-conference.php
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Objectives of the Healthy Start Council are:
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To promote collaboration among all
those involved with young families
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To identify strengths, gaps and
weaknesses in the system of home visiting services to families
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To promote better referrals,
transitions, teamwork, and planning within the system of home
visiting services
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To promote early literacy
Why is Missoula
concerned about young children and their families?
Early childhood is important because so much brain development
occurs.
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90% of
brain growth occurs during the first 3 years.
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At age
three, the brain starts to “prune” the connections between
nerve cells, keeping those connections that are used and
deleting those that are not used.
Social-Emotional Development:
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Babies learn a sense of self through their first
relationships with caregivers, which can be either
positive or negative depending on the care they
receive.
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If
babies develop a close and secure relationship with
an adult—something called “secure attachment”—they
have better self-esteem, better relationships with
others, and are more resilient to family stress.
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If
babies do not develop a secure attachment, they are
much more likely to develop behavioral and emotional
problems later in life, such as antisocial behavior,
anxiety disorders, and difficulty regulating
emotions.
Intellectual Development:
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The foundations for success in school are laid in
early childhood through many experiences with
language and word play, books, and opportunities for
“writing.”
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The child who starts school behind, lags behind—our
educational system is not the great equalizer.
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Major risk factors for school failure include race
and socioeconomic status.
Physical Development:
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Physical health begins before birth. There are
long-term effects on the fetus if the mother uses
alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
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Important factors in early physical development
include good nutrition, adequate physical activity,
and immunizations against disease.
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There are many advantages to breastfeeding. For
example, breastfed babies are more likely to have a
higher IQ and less likely to become obese.
Investing in early childhood saves society money:
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Quality preschool makes a difference!
Longitudinal studies show that the positive effects
from preschool last through high school and into adult life.
The positive effects include that children who have gone to
quality preschools are less likely to abuse drugs, to
exhibit delinquent behaviors, or to have unplanned
pregnancies. They have higher self-esteem, greater social
and emotional maturity, better attitudes toward school,
higher academic motivation, better grades, a higher rate of
graduation, and higher future aspirations.
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Later
in life, children who have attended quality preschool are
more likely to be employed and have higher earnings,
experience better interpersonal relationships, and have
fewer arrests and antisocial acts.
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Each
dollar invested in quality early childhood programs for
at-risk families results in a long-term payoff to society of
about 12% (when adjusted for inflation).
Current Projects
of the Healthy Start
Council include:
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An
e-mail tree that shares information among 250 Healthy Start partners
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Up-to-date information for
families in the annual Health Resource Guide
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Information for parents of young
children at fairs and festivals, such as Kids Fair, Kids Fest, and
the Health Fair
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Maps of social services that are
available to young families in Missoula
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Gatherings of home visitors three
times a year to foster networking and share training in
cross-cultural competency, mental health services, children’s health
insurance, etc.
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Free books to encourage parents to
read with their children
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Brain games for
parenting education
Past
Accomplishments:
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2500 calendars distributed with
important information for every parent of a young child
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An Interagency Resource Checklist that improves communication among home visitors
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5 scholarships for child care
providers to the Montana Early Childhood Conference in partnership
with the Tri-County Early Care and Education Council
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Newsletters for incoming
kindergarten parents, addressing questions that parents and children
may have when entering school
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A Kindergarten Transition Form
completed by child care providers or parents that provides
information about incoming kindergartners to the school teacher
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A “Reading Runs Through It”
campaign with 2500 posters promoting early literacy
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Community
cultural sensitivity conference
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Steps to Early
Learning Grant, in partnership with the Council are Women’s
Opportunity and Resource Development (WORD), Child Care Resources,
Parenting Place, Missoula City-County Health Department, Head Start,
Families First, and Missoula County Public Schools Family Resource
Centers.
The grant promoted early literacy
throughout Missoula through:
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education and training of parents,
caregivers, and professionals;
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early learning activities for
children and low-income families;
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development of partnerships and linkages among schools, early learning programs,
and the community.
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For more information:
Susan Barmeyer
P.O. Box 3805, Missoula, MT 59806
406-728-5437
healthystartatparentingplace.net**
**The
@ symbol was removed to prevent SPAM. When typing, please replace "at" with
"@".
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