The Importance Of School Readiness
Southington is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. We have excellent schools, with outstanding teachers. We have wonderful parks, sports programs, Music on the Green, and the summer Kids entertainment series. Southington has tons of different restaurants, as well as shopping and other activities. But something is missing….
Southington children are unprepared for kindergarten and elementary school success. Research shows that the achievement gap appears long before children reach kindergarten – in fact is can become evident as early as age nine months. Children who do not consistently receive a high quality early childhood education are more susceptible to negative life events such as dropping out of school, becoming a teen parent, needing special education services, never attending college, and being arrested for a violent crime.
The human brain develops swiftly in the first years of life, with 90% of brain development occurring BEFORE age 5. Children in Southington are not consistently attending a preschool program; however, they are consistently being assessed at having LESS than Connecticut State average readiness for kindergarten. Fortunately, this is something that can be changed. Working together with parents, grandparents, early childhood educators, and others in the community, we can help children get ready for school. We can prepare them, not only for the education they will receive in elementary school, but for life.
The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington is a group of volunteers who represent early childhood educators, Southington school personnel, parents, grand parents, the medical field, and other concerned citizens. Our goal is to ensure all Southington children enter school ready to learn. Please use the resources you will find on this blog, and share the information with others. If you have any questions or comments, please fill out the comment form in the ABOUT page.
