Early Learning WHEN KIDS SUCCEED, WE ALL WIN
STORY BY ALICE V. KOEHLER + PHOTOGRAPHY BY TINA SARGEANT
Six thousand babies are born each year in Polk County. And, each year, Polk County has six thousand opportunities to create a better and brighter future, a stronger community for itself. The Early Learning Coalition of Polk County is harnessing these opportunities and building a solid foundation for our future by offering engaging early education initiatives to Polk County’s families, giving kids the tools they need to flourish. For Avery Diane, a bright, spunky four-yearold, bubbling with personality and spark, the world should have been hers to explore. Early in her life, however, Avery encountered devastating challenges that resulted in a move away from her biological parents and into the home and care of a family friend. Since the onset of these life-altering circumstances, those who love and care for Avery have rallied around her to be sure she doesn’t fall behind. Avery’s guardian enrolled her at FurtureCare Learning Center, where her caregivers quickly noticed that Avery experienced intense separation anxiety, did not respond well to transitions or schedule changes, and lacked developmentally appropriate social,
language, and communication skills. Without the Early Learning Coalition’s interventions and the caregivers who supported Avery’s success, her future may have had a very different outlook. Like most children, Avery was born with nearly all of the nerve cells she will ever use. Years of brain research confirm that this is so for most children who develop normally in utero. In order to thrive, babies need these cells to form strong connections in the first five years of life. How and to what degree their brain cells connect are critical to a child’s development and can provide an accurate predictor of some key indicators of later success. Consistent stimulation and activity build and strengthen brain connections, while weak and unused connections are discarded as a child develops. These connections, or lack thereof, can accurately predict whether or not a child will stay in school, have behavioral or health problems, or face early pregnancy or incarceration down the road, travesties that cost Polk County nearly $1,000,000,000 (yes, one billion dollars) each year, according to the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County.
THE LAKELANDER 117