The economic returns on early investments are high, Professor James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist from the University of Chicago, told a group of Missouri business leaders at a high level summit in St. Louis last week.
But it’s not just cognitive abilities we should be focusing on, he said. While intelligence is an important determinant of socioeconomic success, it’s social-emotional “soft skills” like perseverance, attention, motivation and self confidence that really move children toward life success.
From Prof. James Heckman's presentation 11/16/09 to MO Business Leaders Summit
Sure, remedial programs for teens and young adults can be effective, but they’re much more costly in producing the same results (e.g., skill development). He laid out a strong case for public support for early intervention…specifically, early childhood interventions for disadvantaged children.
What constitutes ‘disadvantaged’? According to Heckman, it’s the quality of parenting. John Medina, who spoke to an audience of 1,300 at the Parents as Teachers conference the week before, agrees. “Stressed brains don’t learn the same way as non-stressed brains,” he says. Children who grow up in households under constant stress—whether from bickering parents, economic constraints, alcoholism/drug addiction—do not learn as well as others.
Organizations like Parents as Teachers that provide home visits can affect the lives of parents, creating permanent change in the home environment. And that’s a powerful return an anyone’s investment.
ZenMommy’s virtual baby shower to benefit Parents as Teachers prenatal work couldn’t have come at a better time. According to a government report issued yesterday, premature births are the number one reason the U.S. ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality in 2005. Good prenatal care is the critical factor.
Everyone agrees: we do a good job of saving premature babies in this country, but we’re not so good at preventing them in the first place. That means, among other thing, focusing pregnant moms’ attention on social and behavioral factors that affect prematurity, such as smoking and alcohol and drug use.
That’s exactly what Parents as Teachers does. And that’s why funding … including the donations from the lovely folks who entered the silent auction at ZenMommy’s virtual babyshower as well as the sponsors who made it possible (Kolcraft, Artistic Sensations, Viewpoints, Snap Stories, and of course My Mommy Manual) is so critical to what Parents as Teachers does.
Babies are our future. These are the folks who are ensuring they have a healthy start to a bright future. Join them.
Resident of St. Louis County (MO) are about to vote on a smoking ban. The proposition would prohibit smoking throughout the county…with plenty of exceptions. Why is this even up for debate?!
A new study just out in the November issue of Pediatrics looks at secondhand and prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and makes a flat statement: “Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure of children and theirfamilies causes significant morbidity and mortality.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boroda/ / CC BY 2.0
Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke sensitizes the fetal brain to nicotine, the study found, resulting in a higher likelihood that a child will become addicted to tobacco at a later age when the brain is exposed to nicotine.
The evidence supporting the association of secondhand smoke exposure of childrenwith respiratory illnesses is long:
lowerrespiratory illness
middle-ear infections
tonsillectomy andadenoidectomy
cough
asthma
hospitalizations
sudden infant death syndrome
As Congress grapples with issues of health care, it should consider this: exposure tosecondhand smoke causes asthma symptoms in 200,000 to one millionchildren and contributes to as many as eight to 26 thousand new casesof asthma per year.
Early exposure to neurotoxins (including nicotine) can lead to lifelong learning, behavioral and development problems. Parents as Teachers helps early childhood professionals learn how to share prevention strategies with parents. Like pediatric clinics, Parents as Teachers settings offer “teachable moments” for parents, too. Smoking parents can be motivated to change their behavior for the benefit oftheir child’s health.
At the very least, they can vote for smokefree facilities.
This is the official Parents as Teachers blog authored by Parents as Teachers National Center. It is designed for parent educators, parents, early childhood professionals and anyone who cares to share your love of children. It is a discussion forum, please take a look around, post a comment and enjoy!
The economic returns on early investments are high, Professor James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist from the University of Chicago, told a group of Missouri business leaders at a high level summit in St. Louis last week.
