5/4/98
ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University's Department of Human and Consumer Sciences is participating in a collaborative effort to identify and provide essential needs for area children during an important formative stage of development.
Participants, from a total of nine communities in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, hope to increase public awareness of the importance of children's development from birth to age three and find ways to meet children's needs during that time.
Margaret King, professor of human and consumer sciences and director of the Early Childhood Network, and Anne Oberlin, project coordinator for the Early Childhood Network, are working with numerous Athens community early care and education professionals; parents; social, health and human service organizations; public officials; civic organizations; media and other community groups and individuals to identify what needs are being met and what improvements can be made in local childrens' early care.
The project, called the Pre-Birth through Age Three Initiative, is a multi-year grant funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and is overseen by the Center for Assessment and Policy Development. The initiative's goal is to find ways to provide essential needs such as health care, good nutrition, shelter and emotional support to children in the nine sites and then replicate those efforts in other communities across the nation. The other sites are: Cleveland; Battle Creek, Mich.; Detroit; Chippewa County, Mich.; Cass County, Minn.; Minneapolis; St. Paul, Minn.; and Marquette, Wis.
The impetus for the project comes from recently published research by the Families and Work Institute that shows early care in a person's life has a definitive and enduring impact on the ability to learn and regulate emotions. Researchers found that the brain's synapse development and plasticity is greatest in the first three years of life, which indicates that proper care and stimulation is crucial at this stage for later healthy development.
"Because of this research, people are asking, Are we doing enough for children in this country?'" King says. "Supporting early brain development by providing healthy, safe, nurturing and stimulating environments for all children is essential for children to grow up and be productive citizens."
The Kellogg Foundation chose Athens as a site because of its university-community ties and its Appalachian setting. The Athens site could become a model for higher education and rural environments elsewhere.
A $30,000 grant is funding Phase I of the project, which currently is under way. Approximately 80 university and community members are holding meetings to identify issues of particular concern for Athens children. Participants include representatives from the mayor's office, Athens County Childrens' Services, Head Start, the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and WOUB. In addition to discussing ideas, the group is organizing publicity efforts to create awareness and encourage involvement in the community. Community meetings will be organized in local areas to begin a dialogue about the needs of children prebirth to age three. All members of the community are asked to join in the discussion.
Phase II, which includes a $300,000 grant, will begin in September. At that time, collaborators will carry out planning and early implementation of the design. Phase II grants will range from $100,000 to $200,000. Phase III, which begins January 2000, is five to seven years of continuing support for implementation and evaluation of the project.
Following the completion of all three phases, collaborators from the nine sites will meet to discuss the successes and weaknesses of their efforts and form a design model to be replicated in other locations in the country.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to support projects in the areas of health, food systems and rural development; youth and education and higher education; and philanthropy and volunteerism.. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa.