The Children’s Trust: High-quality early learning is more critical than ever

The earliest years of your child’s development have consistently been found to be the most critical and the most indicative of their success in school and beyond. Scientific research consistently shows that a child’s brain is developing fastest from birth to 2 years old — the progress made during this time will set their development trajectory later in life. If you are waiting for kindergarten, or even pre-school, to start their learning you could be waiting too long. The good news is you don’t have to wait!

Quality early learning facilities provide opportunities for children to develop cognitively, socially and emotionally putting them on an early path to success. On top of the unparalleled benefits quality early-learning opportunities provide for our children, those experiences are just as critical for the overall wellbeing of families. About one-third of those in the labor force are parents with children under age 14, and according to a survey done by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 40 percent of employers were concerned that some of their workers wouldn’t return to work because of worries about child care. Mothers view childcare as even more important than schooling when it comes to their participation in the workforce.

COVID-19 and Early Learning

While the pandemic taught us all that early learning educators are as critical to the welfare of our society as other essential workers; it also took a devastating toll on the childcare industry. Of the 675,000 childcare businesses that were open just before the pandemic hit, 60 percent of them closed at the height of the stay-at-home orders, threatening to permanently eliminate 4.5 million childcare slots across the country.

On the positive side, Florida’s childcare industry has significantly rebounded since the darkest days of the pandemic although challenges still remain. Access to publicly funded preschool programs has increased in recent years, but only 44% of children 4 or younger and 17% of those 3 or younger are enrolled in state pre-kindergarten, Head Start or other programs, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. Also of concern: Only 18% of children from low-income families — those who often start kindergarten behind their peers and stand to benefit the most from early education — are enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs, and of those who are enrolled, many are in lower-quality programs.

The Children’s Trust and other local child advocate organizations know how important high-quality early learning is and are investing heavily in making sure Miami-Dade’s early learning programs have incentives and funding to provide the best learning environments. In 2018, The Trust launched the Thrive by 5 initiative, recognizing the importance of early brain development and its impact on later life success. Since then, The Trust has increased its early childhood investment by $20 million to bring the total annual investment to $48 million. We are focused on ensuring that all children in our community have access to high-quality early learning experiences and that early learning providers have the financial resources and support to achieve and maintain high-quality services.

More help could come at the national level, where Congress is currently considering the Build Back Better Act, which currently includes $400 billion for child care and pre-K. Whether the bill, which has been described as a game-changer for the industry, is ultimately adopted remains a question mark.

In the meantime, The Children’s Trust is leveraging resources and expertise to ensure a cohesive approach to early childhood development initiatives. The Trust recently convened national, state and local experts, business leaders, and advocates, to examine what is currently being done and what can be improved upon in the future. Also at the meeting, Miami Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the creation of a Miami-Dade County Children’s Commission, which will focus on the 0-5 age agenda.

Finding the right program for your child

While additional help may be on the horizon, parents still face real time dilemmas in where to enroll their children, because of waiting lists at high-quality early learning centers due to staff shortages. Here are some tips to finding the right program for your kids:

How do you feel when you walk in the program?

Are the children playing and interacting with each other?

Are the staff engaged and playing with the children?

Are the staff smiling and cheerful?

Is the facility clean and organized?

What is the outside area like? Is it spacious? Is there room to run?

What are the program’s policies for sick children?

How flexible are its hours (is early and late drop off available)?

What kind of meals/snacks are provided?

What training/credentials do the staff possess?

From an early learning perspective, the pandemic has presented both opportunities and unmistakable challenges: Never before has the importance of early learning been so clear, but at the same time the fiscal impact of the related economic downturn significantly set back the industry in the short term. To ensure children have the opportunities they deserve, public officials and parents must come together to ensure high-quality early learning is a top priority in our community. To find a high-quality early learning program in your neighborhood call 2-1-1 or visit TheChildrenstrust.org.