The local Success by Six initiative is led by a volunteer committee composed of early childhood experts from the community, the Cabell Family Resource Network, the Cabell County Board of Education, and Marshall University. The initiative holds two major events each year -- Super Kids, Super Families, Super Saturday in February and Celebrate Children's Sunday in May.
Approximately three years ago, United Way of the River Cities' Success by Six collaborative developed a project called Brain Under Construction Zone with funding and support from the Cabell Wayne Early Childhood Council and the federally funded ERASE Barriers grant. The purpose of the project is to help parents, caregivers, and others who work with children provide quality early learning opportunities to ensure the readiness of children to start school. The project currently is operational in Cabell and Wayne counties. Partners include Cabell Huntington Hospital, the Cabell Huntington Health Department, and 19 child care centers, Head Start and Pre-K classrooms as well community volunteers. To date, more than 3,200 families have been reached through the hospital and child care centers.
12 messages
The Brain Under Construction Zone systematically reinforces the 12 messages of Success by Six which are as follows:
1. The first years last forever. Wiring a brain is like wiring a house; it works better if you start from the beginning.
2. You cannot spoil a baby. Be warm, loving and pay attention to your child's sounds, movements and expressions.
3. Talk, read and sing to your child. You are your child's first teacher.
4. Have a regular schedule. Children find comfort in the same routine every day.
5. Play is the work of the young child. Encourage safe exploration and play.
6. Pay attention to your child. Be aware of how, where and with whom your child spends his time. Choose TV, radio and Internet carefully.
7. Take care of yourself. You cannot take care of your child, if your basic needs are not also being met.
8. Discipline to teach not punish. Use discipline as an opportunity to teach appropriate behavior. Never hit or shake a child.
9. Choose quality child care and stay involved. For local information on approved child care sites call LINK at (800) 894-9540.
10. Children develop at different rates. Celebrate each child.
11. Give your child a childhood. Children need unstructured time. More is not always better.
12. Children need to know they matter. Show your children they are loved for who they are.
Goals
Success by Six seeks to ensure that all children in the Tri-State Area will be ready physically, mentally, developmentally, emotionally and socially to begin kindergarten.
Building awareness and understanding of the importance of early brain development to the future success of children.
Promote education on optimal development, behavior and interaction for families of young children birth to five years of age.
Target Audience
Parents and families with children birth to six years of age, early childhood providers, teachers and every person that works with children.
Objectives
The implementation of the Brain Under Construction Zone program seeks to increase a child's readiness for school by helping improve parent/child interaction, systematically reinforcing, through various outlets in the community, the 12 messages on how to raise a healthy child, starting with the visit at the hospital, receiving tips and messages at the child care centers, community and school fairs and events.
The program aims to promote the belief that parents' behavior toward their child can make a difference in short-term and long-term developmental outcomes. Parents will do a better job adopting and maintaining preferred parenting behaviors if they receive support for these behaviors from the Brain Under Construction Zone project, as well as have a sense of belonging to a community larger than themselves.
The Brain Under Construction Zone project emphasizes the following:
- Parental responsibility, investment in the child, and commitment of time and energy to the child.
- Parent-child interaction style.
- Parent as guide of child's socialization (behavioral guidance and regulation).
- Parent as guide of child's verbal and cognitive development.
Deborah Somuano is the community initiatives coordinator for United Way of the River Cities.
7-day Archive
