{"id":355,"date":"2024-04-24T15:17:54","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T15:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookmark3.com\/dev\/elcmc\/?page_id=355"},"modified":"2025-02-11T18:31:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T18:31:26","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bookmark3.com\/dev\/elcmc\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Early Learning Coalition of Marion County is a private, not-for-profit corporation contracted by the Florida Department of Education (DOE), Division of Early Learning (DEL)<\/a> to administer early education programs and services based on the needs of Marion County families. The Coalition assists families and child care providers with resources, programs, and services to ensure children birth to five have the best possible chance for success in school.<\/p>

Importance of Early Learning and High-Quality Child Care<\/strong><\/p>

Experiences during a child\u2019s first five years build the foundation for future learning and long-term well-being since this is when most brain development occurs. Additionally, family access to affordable, high-quality child care is directly linked to community health, safety, and economic outcomes. Here is what research says about the importance of early learning and quality child care:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrain Development<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

In \u201cCaring Relationships: The Heart of Early Brain Development,\u201d<\/a> the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC<\/a>) explains that in the first three years of life, the building blocks of a child\u2019s brain develops the foundations for future social, emotional, language, and intellectual functioning. These building blocks are called neural connections, and it is through these connections that signals are sent to enable different brain functions.<\/p>

According to Harvard University\u2019s Center on the Developing Child<\/a> (the Center), \u201cIn the first few years of life, more than one million new neural connections are formed every second.\u201d While new connections are made throughout life, these early years are when the most connections are formed. Positive experiences, such as nurturing responses and interactions from caregivers combined with safe environments that encourage children\u2019s natural desire to explore, stimulate children\u2019s brains to develop a strong foundation for emotional functioning. In \u201cThe Science<\/a>,\u201d Zero to Three<\/a> explains that these neural connections \u201care strengthened through repeated positive experiences.\u201d Conversely, when children experience severe and persistent stress in their first three years, their brains\u2019 emotional functioning foundation is weakened. This emotional foundation is the base for all other brain development and has a direct impact on future intellectual and language development.<\/p>

Dr. Ingrid Campbell, special educator and early childhood expert, explains in \u201cUnderstanding Brain Development in Babies and Toddlers<\/a>\u201d that from age three to five, the brain starts to prune the neural connections it deems unnecessary based on children\u2019s experiences in their first five years. This allows for the development of more complex brain functions. Once a connection is pruned, it is more difficult for the connection to be reestablished. According to the Center\u2019s \u201cBrain Architecture<\/a>,\u201d the cycle of new neural connections forming and unused connections being pruned continues throughout life. However, \u201c\u2026 the connections that form early provide either a strong or weak foundation for the connections that form later.\u201d This is why it is critical to ensure children have an abundance of diverse positive experiences in their first five years.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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An August 2023 report<\/a> from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation states that children\u2019s cognitive and social-emotional development benefits most when early care and education (ECE) is high-quality. \u201cHigh-quality ECE programs go beyond basic health and safety requirements to provide warm, responsive relationships with educators, stimulating and developmentally appropriate curricula, and ongoing training for educators.\u201d The report further explains that the cognitive benefits include language and literacy, math, and reasoning that prepare children for school success. The social-emotional benefits children gain from attending high-quality ECEs include reduced behavior problems, the ability to get along with others, and stronger self-regulation, involving the ability to regulate emotions and control impulses.<\/p>

The National Institute for Early Education Research<\/a> (NIEER) has identified ten research-based benchmark standards for high-quality state preschool programs, that, according to NIEER\u2019s \u201cState of Preschool 2023 Yearbook<\/a>,\u201d are \u201cessential for setting the groundwork for high quality experiences for children\u201d:<\/p>

  1. There are comprehensive, vertically aligned, and culturally sensitive early learning and developmental standards for preschool-aged children across multiple domains:
    1. Physical well-being and motor development<\/li>
    2. Social\/emotional development<\/li>
    3. Approaches toward learning<\/li>
    4. Language development<\/li>
    5. Cognition and general knowledge<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
    6. There is an approval process and support for the selection and implementation of a strong curriculum<\/li>
    7. Lead teachers have at least a bachelor\u2019s degree with specialized early education knowledge and training<\/li>
    8. Lead teachers have specialized training in early childhood education and\/or child development that includes knowledge of learning, development, and pedagogy specific to preschool-age children<\/li>
    9. Assistant teachers have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or equivalent<\/li>
    10. Teachers and assistants participate in at least 15 hours of professional development per year, have individual professional development plans, and receive coaching<\/li>
    11. There are no more than 20 students per class<\/li>
    12. There is one teaching staff member for every 10 children<\/li>
    13. Children receive vision, hearing, and health screenings and are referred for follow-up services when needed<\/li>
    14. There are structured classroom observations, and the data is used for program improvement<\/li><\/ol><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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      The National Institute for Early Education Research<\/a> reports in \u201cEarly Childhood Education: Three Pathways to Better Health<\/a>\u201d that \u201c\u2026participation in quality early childhood education and development programs can directly improve children\u2019s physical and mental health.\u201d Further, an increase is children\u2019s cognitive and social-emotional skills can lead to improved health.<\/p>

      In the 2023 \u201cUntapped Potential: Florida<\/a>\u201d report, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Florida Chamber Foundation state, \u201c\u2026children with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) resulting from insufficient child care are more than twice as likely to experience anxiety, three and a half times as likely to be depressed, and seven times more likely to engage in alcohol abuse.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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      Fight Crime: Invest in Kids<\/a> has membership of over 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and violence survivors working to protect public safety through solutions that steer kids away from crime. \u00a0Their \u201cI\u2019m the Guy You Pay Later<\/a>\u201d brief states, \u201cresearch has shown that high-quality early education and care from birth through pre-kindergarten will result in more successful outcomes,\u201d including:<\/p>