GREENSBORO — Eighty-five percent of brain growth occurs by age 3.
That’s why it is so important that young children get the nurturing and stimulation they need at a young age, said David Lawrence Jr., the president of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation in Florida.
Lawrence was one of three keynote speakers at a breakfast in Greensboro on Tuesday who discussed how to improve early childhood education in Guilford County.
Speakers stressed the importance of preparing every child mentally, emotionally and socially for school before a child reaches the first day of kindergarten.
They discussed ways that parents, teachers, business and civic leaders should work toward the common goal of improving child well-being and education.
Other speakers included former N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt and psychologist Nathan Fox, a professor at the University of Maryland who specializes in neuroscience.
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Citing data, Lawrence said more than one in three third-graders in Guilford County can’t read with a minimum proficiency — and that many children will not catch up. In addition, one in four children live in poverty, an increase of 15 percent since 2000.
Fox has conducted research on the effects of maltreatment on children. His research indicates that the first few years of a child’s life play a critical role in how a child will develop high cognitive function and language skills.
What Fox describes as “brain architecture” is established early in life and supports lifelong learning, behavior and health.
“Infants and children need stable and caring relationships,” he said.
According to Fox, stress, neglect and abuse cause problems, including low self- control, which can lead to incarceration.
“Children that are exposed to chronic maltreatment or neglect also have mental health or behavior problems later in life,” he said.
“With a lot of neglect, there is almost an absence of brain activity.
“Kids need to be supported at home and kids need to have emotional, social and education support,” Fox said.
“Small group sizes, a language-rich environment, age-appropriate learning and warm, responsive parenting will help.”
Lawrence spoke about the program implemented in Miami-Dade County, Fla., for early childhood education as an example for Guilford County. The county voted to raise property taxes to improve education so all children would come to school ready, he said.
“If we want less crime, want more people to share in the basic costs of societal well-being, more people to own homes, we need to invest in childhood education,” Lawrence said. “For teachers, the greatest possible gift is to bring children in superb shape to kindergarten so they could succeed, and teachers could do more teaching and less triaging.”
The goal is to have early education work in concert with K-12 education so both succeed, he said.
“This must begin with private sector leadership,” Lawrence said. “This is about the return on investment, and it needs to be for the long term.”
Hunt urged the business, political and civic leaders to understand that the first 2,000 days of a child’s life are critical to shaping who they will be.
He called investing in early childhood education “morally important and economically the smartest thing we could do.”
“I want to challenge you to do something that will put you on the map,” Hunt said. “I want you to have the goal of every child starting school ready to learn and ready to fly.”
