Saturday, March 25, 2000
Birth-to-age-3 called crucial
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — The first three years of a child's life can be the most important, agreed a three-member panel that convened Thursday and Friday to discuss children's brain development.
The panelists focused on debunking controversial arguments made by John T. Bruer in his 1999 book, The Myth of the First Three Years.
The book contends that parents place too much emphasis on a child's first three years and mistakenly believe that, if they don't, their children have little chance of future success.
This emphasis, Mr. Bruer said in his book, affects policy, places too much money in the wrong child development programs — often at the risk of initiatives for the elderly — and prompts too much fuss over the first three years.
But, “why shouldn't there be a fuss?” asked George Morrison, an early childhood education professor at University of North Texas.
He was part of a panel discussion, “The Myth of "The Myth of the First Three Years',” and also a session leader at a two-day conference that concluded Friday at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.
Mr. Morrison said failing to concentrate on the first three years could lead to children getting into trouble with the law and being sent to juvenile detention facilities and maximum-security prisons.
Parents from all socioeconomic levels could do better at parenting during a child's early years, he said.
“The normal environment for most children in this country is awful,” Mr. Morrison said, noting parents should provide more enrichment.
April Benasich, co-director of Rutgers University's Carter Center for Neurocognitive Research, and A.J. Abbott, president of the 21st Century Learning Initiative in the United Kingdom, were the other panelists.
Ms. Benasich stressed that concentrating on a child's first three years is easier than when he is older and perhaps entering school with speech and learning problems.
Mr. Morrison did credit Mr. Bruer's book for sparking a maelstrom of dialogue. He called the book a “clarion call to redirect ourselves to what we know is right.”
The panel discussion was part of the conference's focus on the latest research on children's brain development. The conference attracted several hundred researchers, child development practitioners and policy makers.
Friday, Gov. Paul Patton's daughter, Nicki Patton, was recognized for her work as chair of the Governor's Task Force on Early Childhood Development.
Children's Inc. of Covington sponsored the event. The agency provides financial assistance for preschool education and offers after-school programs to low-income families.
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