Be part of the village that raises your child!
Your community knows it is important to focus on the early years. Strathcona County is in the process of creating the Early Childhood Development Community Plan.
Our vision is that all Strathcona County children will have the best start by being developmentally ready for kindergarten.
Why focus on the early years?
- A child's development during the first three years affects lifelong learning, behaviour, health and well-being. Getting a good start in life is vital to a positive future.
- During a child’s preschool years, the brain is extremely sensitive to the influences of the environment, both physical and social, at this time. A child’s early experiences shape brain structure as the rapidly developing and growing brain adapts to its environment.
- The quality of these early life experiences, whether they are positive or negative, lays the foundation for all later, more complex development. It also has lifelong implications on how well children learn, get along with others, cope, feel about themselves and for their mental and physical health.
Resources:
- Raising Children Website (Government of Alberta)
- Let’s Talk about the Early Years (Report by the Chief Medical Officer of Health)
- Brain Hero video (Centre on the Developing Child, Harvard University)
- Your Child’s Brain: Building a Strong Structure (Centre of Excellence for Early Child Development)
Lori Prediger, Chair, 780-464-8454
prediger@strathcona.ca
Sheila Ewanchuk, Project Assistant, 780-464-8209
sheila.ewanchuk@strathcona.ca
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Last updated: Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Page ID: 8799