Kindergarten readiness depends on a child's first 1,000 days


  • June 14, 2016
  • /   Reggie Dogan
  • /   education

Parents in the Thirty Million Words Initiative learn the importance of talking to their babies from birth. Photo credit: TMW.

There has been a lot of talk lately about what needs to happen during a baby’s first 1,000 days.

The New York Times has joined in the conversation.

In an op-ed piece, "Too Small to Fail," Nicholas Kristof hones in on the key components of kindergarten readiness: offering good nutrition, overcoming poverty and providing quality pre-kindergarten:

To be clear, what’s needed is not just education but also help for families beginning in pregnancy, to reduce the risk that children will be born with addictions and to increase the prospect that they will be raised with lots of play and conversation. (By age 4, a child of professionals has heard 30 million more words than a child on welfare.) The best metric of child poverty may have to do not with income but with how often a child is spoken and read to.

His message directly reflects the Studer Community Institute’s emphasis on and commitment to early education in Escambia County.

Among the goals of the Institute is to improve the community’s quality of life, and one of the key 16 metrics included in the Pensacola Metro Dashboard is kindergarten readiness.

Of nearly 3,000 kindergartners in Escambia County schools this year, more than one-third of them — about 1,000 children — were not prepared academically or socially for kindergarten, based on data analysis by the Florida Office of Early Learning,

As many as 20 percent of them, Escambia school district officials say, are as much as two years behind.

Research shows that children who start out significantly behind in kindergarten are likely to continue to struggle to keep pace at grade level in early elementary school and often throughout their school life.

Research also shows that the first 1,000 days can have a tremendously positive impact on a child’s early education.

Back in October I spent a few days with educators and experts who specialize in this area of early learning at the First 1,000 Days Florida Summit in West Palm Beach.

During plenary workshops, seminars and lectures, I became immersed in information and ideas on the importance of a baby’s first years.

At the conference I gleaned pertinent information related to the importance of talking and interacting with babies and ensuring that babies have a healthy start with proper nutrition.

Good nutrition during this crucial period of life sets in motion a person’s intellectual development and lifelong health. A healthy diet leads to better growth of brain and body.

It makes sense to focus on this most critical period of life — from pregnancy to weeks before the third birthday.

A growing body of research shows that success in kindergarten and primary school depends greatly on good nutrition fueling cognitive development during a child’s first 1,000 days.

Kristof referenced an expert on nutrition and world hunger in explaining the crucial importance of nutrition in a baby’s early years.

Roger Thurow’s book, “The First 1,000 Days,” tells the story of the vital importance of proper nutrition and health care in the 1,000 days window from the beginning of a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday.

“It is in the first 1,000 days of life that the stage is set for fulfilling individual potential,” writes Roger in his powerful and important new book on leveraging early childhood. “If we want to shape the future, to truly improve the world, we have 1,000 days to do it, mother by mother, child by child.”

The more people talk about how important it is to give kids everywhere the best start to life by making sure they have best of things, right from the start, the more we can start to improve the statistics on early learning and ensure that all children are ready for school and prepared for life.

Your items have been added to the shopping cart. The shopping cart modal has opened and here you can review items in your cart before going to checkout