A strong start in life begins in utero as the steady beat of a mother’s heart or the encouraging sound of a father’s voice prepare the way for their child’s miraculous entry into a waiting community.
We know so much more now about the critical brain development that occurs in the first few years of a child’s life and why family support and access to early childhood care and education matters. And how face time, talking, singing, playing, reading with our kids and the experiences and people that surround them shape their sense of being lovable and capable.
Anyone who has ever loved or raised a child beyond those early years also knows how important extended family and friends and neighbors and teachers and mentors and coaches and others are in keeping kids safe and hopeful and on track with becoming their best selves.
It does take a whole village. This village knows that.
Here’s the thing. An estimated 500 of our littlest kids are at risk of arriving at kindergarten behind. Another 1,500 of our K-12 kids need our support to meet critical educational benchmarks that keep them on the path to success in life and to access sports and enrichment activities that build healthy bodies and minds and relationships.
The good news is this village is on a roll. The Great Expectations Initiative is gaining traction with impactful cradle-to-career ways for each of us and all of us to invest in the future of these kids with the time, energy, expertise, funds, in-kind gifts, rides and simple human friendship that matters. Caring for Kids provides the foundational strong start to our whole-village commitment that all of our kids, each and every one of them, all along the way have a chance to become all they can be. Come to the Aug. 13 Caring for Kids Fundraising Breakfast to learn more and discover the role you can play in changing the odds for our kids.