We hear so many times that child development and readiness for kindergarten and school are related to socio-economics.  At Delta Health Alliance, we don’t think that this has to be the case. There is so much parents can do that is completely free to help a child develop and that has little to do with socio-economic standing.  For the next four weeks, I am going to concentrate on what we can do as parents and as a community to nurture the next generation of Deltans.  Nothing can replace the time parents give to their children early in their lives.  Help is available to parents throughout the Delta, from a variety of sources.  One of our goals is to help link parents with those resources.  In the first year of life, an infant’s brain grows at a remarkable pace.  By the time a baby is three, his brain will have reached 80 percent of its adult size, which is why the time from birth to three years old is so very important, and has an effect on the rest of the child’s life.  Early brain development is largely shaped by a child’s environment.   A baby’s brain is wired to learn at an incredibly fast pace – and parents, care givers, and extended families must be an active part of this development.  There are simple daily habits that parents can do that cost nothing and that will make a huge difference.  Each week, we will focus on a different stage of a child’s life. This week. We will focus on the first year of life.  And that post will be on Wednesday.

Thanks,

Karen Matthews