Partnership for Children
Durham's Partnership for Children, a Smart Start Initiative, has worked over the past 15 years to develop first-class integrated services and collaborative approaches to prepare young children for success in school and life.
During this anniversary year, this monthly column has spotlighted the comprehensive work of the Partnership and its community partners to strengthen the early childhood system in the areas of early care and education, family support and health services. There's no doubt that our organization and our collective early childhood system has made huge strides in the past 15 years. More children have access to high-quality, affordable child care, more early childhood teachers have access to continue their education and teach and strengthen their programs, and more families can connect to evidence-based parent support programs and health resources.
At the same time, our successes are often overshadowed with the realities of diminishing resources and increased community need. Over the past 10 years, the number of Durham's young children birth to 5 has grown by 22 percent while early childhood state dollars have been cut by more than $3 million. This causes me great concern and has long-term consequences.
Early childhood education, poverty, and violence prevention should not be political "buzz words." Harm to programs such as these will affect more than just current generations -- its effects will trickle down to our children's children. We must nurture and prepare our children to face the challenges of adulthood. By weakening their current support systems, we jeopardize our future as well as their future.
This is a pivotal time for our community and state in regards to planning resources for our youngest children. Even with competing priorities, we must have the community will to invest in our future. This year, the City of Durham and Durham County proclaimed 2010 the Year of the Young Child. We hope that this recognition of the importance of young children will put a spotlight on the needs of young children and act as call to action for all sectors of our community to support early childhood. We have a narrow opportunity to invest in Durham's future now and give children what they need, or pay much, much more in the future.
Gov. Beverly Perdue vowed to fight for early childhood education funding at the Smart Start Leadership Symposium last month. She pledged her support to an audience of more than 150 Smart Start leaders and volunteers as she introduced her Ready, Set, Go! Initiative. The initiative is aimed at the continuum of education from the early years to college and career and early childhood education represents the 'Ready' portion. Our governor appears to understand the importance of investing in young children. We want to see this commitment reflected in a state budget that understands that how we treat young children and their families now will affect our future for all.
Solid third-grade test scores don't just happen without children learning fundamentals beginning in the early years. Early care and education are building blocks that support cognitive, social and emotional development which leads to later success. Just as we can't start education at age 8 and expect children to succeed, we can't make investments late and think that the achievement gaps will narrow.
I was raised with the belief that it is our collective responsibility to leave the world a little better than we found it. My life has been shaped by a culture dedicated to education and helping to create systems to make our community one where children and families will thrive and grow. Our children are our precious gifts. It is our responsibility to create and enhance every possible opportunity for them to be successful in life. That begins most certainly in the early years.
Thank you to the Herald-Sun and its readers for allowing us to celebrate Durham's Partnership for Children's 15th anniversary with a monthly article. Early Childhood Education has a prominent place in Ready, Set, Go! for it is the jumping off point. The responsibility of growing and sustaining excellence in early childhood education programs belongs to each one of us as we leave our legacy for the next generation.
Marsha Basloe is the executive director of Durham's Partnership for Children. She can be reached at marsha@dpfc.net. This is the last of 12 articles published in Schools and More each month in celebration of the Partnership's 15th anniversary.
