Early Childhood Development

Outcome: In keeping with the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, every child is prepared for school, laying the foundation for school, workforce and life success.

Strategies:

• Form a community coalition that focuses on the early experiences during the first five years of a child’s life, when critical long-term brain development is occurring.
• Help develop access to resources that support parents and children before a child enters a classroom in order to build a path to success in school and life.
• Use data to better understand and choose investments that strengthen early childhood development.

Indicators: Evidence of achieving this outcome would be as follows:

• Healthy births
• Supported families
• Families supportive of children in pre-school and early elementary
• Enriching and healthy learning experiences birth to age 5
• School readiness
• Strong social and emotional skills
• Third-grade reading proficiency

Current Investments and Strategic Partners

Alleghany Highlands YMCA

• YMCA Early Learning Program Childcare Financial Assistance
• Dolly Parton Imagination Library
  The Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that gifts free books to children from birth to age five.  The program has gone from just a few dozen books to over 80,000,000 books mailed to children.