EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A mound of clay to be molded, an empty vessel, a clean slate—that's what most people think of the five-year-old child starting his first year of school. But new
scientific evidence tells us that the brain is the only organ not developed at birth, that it doubles in size by age three, and that approximately 90 percent of its
growth is completed by age five. We also now know that children who aren't played with much as infants and are rarely held develop brains that are 20 to
30 percent smaller than normal.
At birth, the human brain has about 100 billion nerve cells, most of them unconnected. As the baby sees, hears, smells and feels, the cells form trillions of connections
called synapses. These connections lay the groundwork for future learning, playing a significant role in how well a child performs in school.
All of society pays the price when children don't succeed in school. These costs are tangible. They include the cost of special education to remedy conditions
that may have been prevented with early intervention; social costs of crime, delinquency, and anti-social behavior; the cost of supporting those who could
have been self-supporting but were unable to develop in that direction; and the lost contributions to a myriad of areas in society.
The contribution of each individual will become increasingly important in the next generation. While the total number of children in Mesa increased from 1990
to 2000, Mesa follows a national trend where children represent a shrinking portion of the population. This translates to a shrinking workforce, one that depends on every
member to be a full contributor. However, recent Otis-Lennon School Ability Tests that were administered to second graders at Mesa Public Schools show that Mesa's scores have fallen
below the national average and continue a decade-long decline in the readiness of our children to learn. (See Statistical Summary on Page 5 for overview of the key data in this report)
Providing safe, nurturing, pleasant experiences from birth creates the optimum environment for developing a child's brain connections, their foundation for learning. However, many
parents either aren't aware of how important this time in their child's life is to learning, don't have the appropriate nurturing skills, or have significant issues within the family
that must be addressed. The family is the single most important factor in determining the future of each child. Families constitute the source of shelter, physical need fulfillment,
nurturing, character, values, and experience. It is therefore important to look at circumstances that affect our children and their families.
In studies that rank the condition of children in the fifty most populous U.S. cities, Mesa consistently ranks above average. However, the changing
face of the American family indicates that even in communities like Mesa, children are often in family situations that do not have optimum support.
- One third of Mesa's children live with both parents in one household. Ten percent of Mesa's children live with a relative other than their parents
or in non-relative homes.
- The percentage of Mesa births to unmarried women increased from 23 percent in 1990 to 32 percent (nearly a third of all births) in 1995 and has
remained stable.
- Thirteen percent of all births in 2000 were to teen mothers; 21 percent of teen births were repeat births.
- Mesa's poverty levels have historically been less than those found statewide. In 1998, 9.5 percent of Mesa's population was below the
poverty level, compared to 21 percent statewide. The notable exception is for single parent families headed by females, where 25.5 percent (one quarter) of children fall below the federal poverty level.
- In 1998, more than one in five babies were born to mothers of all
ages who had not completed 12th grade.
The changing face of the American family with regard to workforce participation means that the role of childcare
and child caregivers has become central to the issue of child development and potential for success. More than half of Mesa's children live in families
where both parents or the single parent are in the labor force, increasing the likelihood that the child will spend a significant portion of their formative
years in childcare. Not only do parents require accessible, affordable childcare in order to meet their workplace responsibilities, children need
many of the same things from their childcare providers that they need from their parents —stability, nurturing, variety of experience, safety, and
one-to-one interaction —in order to achieve optimum development. Yet there are no established standards for child caregivers' preparation and
ongoing education and no concentrated efforts being made to provide caregivers with the information they need in order to provide children in their
care with the best opportunity to develop. Pay is low and turnover is high, creating additional sources of instability in the child's life.
Thirty-two percent of Mesa's children age five and under are listed as Hispanic in the 2000 census. Although no data are available regarding language, 16.5
of the kindergarten through 6th grade students in Mesa Public Schools do not have English as a primary language at home. These statistics highlight
the importance of providing information in Spanish.
There are ways of reversing the negative trends reflected in the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test scores. Change in early brain development begins with
knowledge. Parents, caregivers, policy makers, and anyone who routinely has contact with or influence over young children need to know what they can do to
foster healthy brain development. It is especially important to reach parents and caregivers who may be isolated, stressed, or otherwise vulnerable. This
may involve unconventional public awareness campaigns, home visitations, and community support. Incentives for training child care workers and improving
licensing standards for childcare providers can also play a role. Strategies also need to respect cultural differences. They need to be integrated with values, patterns, and
ture in which the child lives.
The entire community has a stake in healthy brain development. Investing in early childhood development and ways and means of
supporting parents and caregivers will result in significant long-term savings and a workforce better able to compete in a world market.
To order a copy of a publication, please call 480.461.6141 or email your request to charles.freer@mcmail.maricopa.edu.
