Our Priorities
> Early Care and Education
From birth to age 5, children’s brains develop the fastest. To optimize that potential, the Early Care and Education Area of the Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families works on behalf of the 79,000 county residents under the age of 6.
School readiness is crucial to future academic success. The more prepared young children are when they start public school, the better they do at the end of school, whether their path is more education or beginning a career.
In Montgomery County, only 73% of our children entered kindergarten fully ready to learn in school year 2008-2009.
Studies show that investments at this stage of a child’s life pay the highest dividends to the child, his/her family, and society.
What’s the Collaboration Council’s goal for early care and education?
We want all Montgomery County’s children to start school with the best foundation possible for success. Children must be healthy physically to learn and grow. Their cognitive development is crucial. They also need a social-emotional environment that encourages learning.
How does your group influence early care and education?
We support the social-emotional, physical and cognitive development of children. For now, our focus is on one strategy in particular:
- Home visiting, which includes parent education and support in learning about child development.
What’s the outcome?
Families learn what is developmentally appropriate for their child, and they learn how to help their child increase his/her readiness for school. When they are ready to start kindergarten, children whose families have been touched by this group show up at school ready to learn.
How does the Collaboration Council measure its performance in this area?
Measurements in this area include:
- How many home visits were made to a specific number of children, covering their care from prenatal to kindergarten entry
- What percentage of children demonstrated appropriate developmental progress, using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and/or the ASQ:SE (Social Emotional)
- What percentage of enrolled children were immunized on schedule
- What percentage of children were linked to a health care provider.
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