|
|
You may be asking why three retired pediatricians and an Early Childhood Educator want to talk with you about Early Childhood Education and Prenatal Care to age 3 (ECE/PN to 3).
To us, “PN to 3” means giving rural Minnesotans the help they need for healthy pregnancies and early bonding, nurturing, and teaching their very young children. Early Childhood Education is really part of health care. Health care experts and epidemiologists tell us that a better educated, more productive work force is healthier for workers and their families. It all starts in “PN to 3”.
We’re contacting colleagues and friends, including those we had yet to meet (eg, Mark Jones), now a network of nearly 100, and encouraging them to advocate as well by contacting their Minnesota House Reps and State Senators – which is what we’d like you to do – asking them for robust funding for ECE/PN to 3 programs. After years of inaction (though not for lack of advocacy), Early Childhood Care and Education nearly passed the Legislature last spring. Unfortunately, COVID-19 and the events surrounding George Floyd took lawmakers attention away from ECE. In fact, both events made ECE even more urgent and compelling. Decisions are being made at the Capitol, literally, as we speak. The matter is truly urgent.
PN stands for prenatal care, during which parents-to-be learn the importance of good nutrition, avoiding toxins (illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and lead), and preparation for a new baby’s arrival.
“To 3” means birth to 3 – that time when babies’ brains actively seek and acquire connections that last a lifetime. Early Education for families and babies (and later for toddlers), combined with quality childcare provide the tools that parents seek and the developmental skills babies and toddlers need to become productive and healthy adults.
A mother needs 6-12 weeks of Paid Family Leave (PFL) for her to help her new baby build the strong brain connections which depend on stress free nurturing and parent-infant bonding – which requires income security during these earliest weeks. And this “great start” for all Minnesota babies allows the strong development that then occurs in years 0 to 3. Paid Family Leave is a public good, like public education, and needs public support. While public education (K-12) is free, the cost is $10,000 per child per year. By comparison, Early Childhood Education and Quality Child Care state investment is only a few hundred dollars per baby-toddler per year. In Minnesota and most states, we invest the least when the investment returns the most, and when parents and families need it most!
Economists tell us that the return on investment (ROI) for a healthy 0 to 3 child is 10-16 times, and this return begins as early as the pre-K ages 4-5 years, and it continues thru K-12 and into the adult years.
After the first 6-12 weeks many mothers need to return to the workplace. In fact, businesses depend on them, which is why quality childcare and education is critically important. Right now, legislators are deliberating on funding for early childcare and Education, for affordability, for overcoming losses from the field (before and during COVID-19), to provide living wages for childcare workers, and for paid family leave.
It is important to note, that Quality Child Care is not “baby sitting”. As brain science tells us, it involves the interactive responding around reading, play, and relating daily observations to babies and toddlers that lead to a brain’s connections that set it up for academic and social success in the school years and beyond.
Let your legislators know that rural areas cannot afford to be childcare deserts. Funding for family, center, and school-based facilities are in urgent need. The life of many rural communities and some urban neighborhoods literally depend on them. These reps and senators need to hear from their constituents that this is a real crisis. Without significant funding ($1B+), there cannot be sufficient childcare and, in many places, without childcare there can be no recovery!
Fortunately, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides funding for Early Childhood – for new facilities but also to support reopening facilities, especially rural family based childcare, which were forced to close during COVID-19. Please make it clear to legislators that “infrastructure help” in Early Childhood means funding for childcare providers, their workers, and for families to afford childcare and early education – not just for “bricks and mortar”.
In addition, there will be $2.5B from the American Rescue Plan coming to Minnesota state government, which can be used for various purposes. With constituents telling their lawmakers to invest some of this money in Early Education programs, this can make a big difference.
However, the American Rescue Plan is “one time” – for RESCUE, and more funding is needed at the state and Federal levels to sustain RECOVERY and to establish security for PN to 3. This is one of many reasons why our legislature must stand up for rural Minnesota (and why our Senators and Representatives in Washington must do so, too).
Many thanks for your attention. Please do your part within your companies and organizations. The future health and well-being of your communities depend on constituent participation. Please also spread the word to your employees and your friends and neighbors. Everyone can play a role here. We are told that 4-5 contacts to an elected official can be enough to have an effect. Funding is critical.
Everyone can make a difference!
From our group working on “PN to 3” funding, Dale Dobrin, MD, FAAP (Fellow American Academy of Pediatrics) Mary Meland, MD, FAAP Roger Sheldon, MD, FAAP Ada Alden, EdD
Leave a Reply