Change the First Five Years Change Everything

June 17, 2010 Print This Post

I’ve been a member of the Better Brains for Babies executive committee for more than nine years. Better Brains for Babies is a collaborative initiative in Georgia to promote the use of early brain development research in everyday life experiences. We recently jumped on an opportunity to work with The Urban Child Institute in Memphis.

We were talking in Memphis today about the vital role physical well-being and consistency play in promoting and fostering healthy brain development. We watched a new video, “Change the First Five Years Change Everything,” from the Ounce of Prevention Fund that just rocked my world.

We talk more and more about how critical the early years are because of what is physically happening in a child’s brain. Children’s experiences, environments, and the care they receive from adults shape their brains. This video touches on every aspect of children’s early years and the risks they encounter if we don’t invest in the first five years. It has so many implications for our collective work.

We believe at Better Brains for Babies that if we can help people understand that every experience—good and bad—impacts brain development, we can influence and positively impact children’s lives. That’s why we tell adults that no matter who you are, you can make a difference in a child’s life by providing a positive, enriching environment that will support health brain development.

The images I saw and the voices I heard today will forever be in my mind as we continue to do this work through Georgia Family Connection Partnership, Georgia KIDS COUNT, Better Brains for Babies, and the Georgia Grade-Level Reading Campaign.

Way to go Ounce of Prevention for providing such a great video to move us to action!  I was honestly and sincerely moved!