Early childhood education does not begin in Kindergarten. Positive interactions with adults and exposure to a wide vocabulary in a child’s First 2,000 Days are critical for brain development and school success. As we celebrate the Week of the Young Child, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) is distributing 46,000 books to low-income children through a partnership with child care centers, doctor’s offices, child care resource and referral centers, and families across the state, and calling on families to make a commitment to read to their children frequently. During the week of April 16-20, 2018, DCF and community partners are working together to highlight two important themes: the importance of developing early childhood social, emotional and physical well-being for all children, and the importance of providing high-quality early learning experiences at home and during time spent in child care. “Helping young children enter school ready to learn is one of the best investments parents and communities can makes towards our future,” said DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson. “Reading to your children will pay dividends for all Wisconsin citizens and future generations, and ensure better outcomes in education, health and workforce development. The Week of the Young Child observance is a continuation of DCF’s commitment to improving early learning in Wisconsin and efforts to make high-quality education accessible to all our citizens. Through the YoungStar quality rating and improvement system, over 3,700 child care programs in Wisconsin have been rated and given assistance in improving the quality of their care. And, the easy to navigate child care finder places the tools and information parents need to make informed early educations choices at their fingertips. To learn more about early childhood education visit www.dcf.wisconsin.gov or follow @WisDCF on Twitter.
