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>> Reference Manual - Early Childhood Development
>> Success By 6 Public Policy Priorities
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Business Leaders Support Early Childhood Development
Beginning January 29, we'll be bringing you a different message on early childhood development each week for eight weeks.
Dr. Dianne Reynolds Cane, Medical Director
Community Health Center
VIDEO
Robert J. Grey, Jr., Partner
Hunton & Williams
VIDEO
Thomas N. Chewning, Executive Vice President & CFO
Dominion
VIDEO
Ken Ampy, Chief Executive Officer
Astyra Corporation
VIDEO
Dr. Pamela Royal, President
Royal Dermatology and Aesthetic Skin Care, Inc.
VIDEO
Michael N. Herring, Commonwealth's Attorney
City of Richmond
VIDEO
Randy Dunbar-Amos, Managing Director
BB&T Capital Markets
VIDEO
Ella, Preschooler
Ready For Kindergarten
VIDEO
Early Childhood Summit - July 2007
The Greater Richmond Chamber and the Governor of Virginia convened the Governor’s Early Childhood Summit on “Early Childhood Development as Economic Development” at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on July 27, 2007. Business executives and elected officials from across the state of Virginia gathered to hear Timothy M. Kaine, Governor of Virginia; Jeffrey M. Lacker, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; and David Kass, President of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids build an economic case for investing in early childhood development. The purpose of the summit was to discuss benefits to the business community and the commonwealth of Virginia through investment in early childhood education.
>> Fact Sheet | >> Program | >> Photos
Katherine E. Busser, Executive Vice President
Capital One Financial Corp.
VIDEO: Opening Remarks :: 
AUDIO
Jeffrey M. Lacker, Ph.D., President
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
VIDEO :: AUDIO :: 
COMMENTS
The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine, Governor
Commonwealth of Virginia
VIDEO :: AUDIO :: COMMENTS
Thomas R. Byrd, President
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
VIDEO :: AUDIO
James W. Dunn, President
Greater Richmond Chamber
VIDEO :: AUDIO
Michael N. Herring, Commonwealth’s Attorney
City of Richmond
VIDEO :: AUDIO
Lisa Van Riper, Assistant Vice President/Public Affairs
CarMax
VIDEO :: AUDIO
Katherine E. Busser, Executive Vice President
Capital One Financial Corp.
VIDEO: Call To Action :: AUDIO
At the summit, Thomas N. Chewning, Executive Vice President and CFO of Dominion, presented Jim Dunn, President of the Chamber, with a lifetime achievement award from the Commonwealth of Virginia for his visionary leadership as a champion for investment in early childhood development. Click photo to enlarge
Early Childhood Development Summit - March 2007
On March 7, 2007, the Partnership for America’s Economic Success, with support from the Committee for Economic Development and PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., hosted the annual Building the Economic Case for Investments in Children at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Over 200 business leaders, policymakers, and members of the nonprofit community convened to discuss how investments in children can improve America’s workforce and future economic well-being. The all day session focused on ways the business community can improve early education in the United States and get more business leaders involved with the issue.
>> Building the Economic Case for Investments in Children
Presentation by Jim Dunn, President Greater Richmond Chamber
Welcome
At the Greater Richmond Chamber, business leaders from Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico and Richmond work through the Success By 6 ® (SB6) initiative to promote the link between quality early childhood development and economic vitality...
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If children get to school ready to learn they are more likely to read at grade level by 3rd grade. |
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If children read at grade level by 3rd grade they are more likely to graduate from high school. |
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If children graduate from high school, they are more likely to go on to higher education and/or enter the job market as a tax paying citizen. |
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Employable, taxpaying citizens are critical to a vital economy. |
As the voice to the business community and still committed to the initial goal of having “Every third grader in the Richmond region reading at grade level by 2010”, the leadership of SB6 determined that a narrowly tailored effort needed to be developed and implemented. As a business led initiative we strive to promote the connection between economic vitality and early childhood development. In doing this, we know that early childhood development and ready-to-learn issues affect the business environment as much as the traditional business-oriented issues like transportation and economic development. We also know that success in business depends upon a larger scale collaboration, regional cooperation, accountability and acceptance and implementation of best practice methods. Children are the future workforce and research tells us that for every $1 invested in quality early childhood development programs the long term savings to government and society are between $7-9.
Success By 6
What does SB6 do?
SB6 does not provide direct services to children. Instead, it works to change service delivery systems, laws, policies, regulations, and funding sources and amounts, and to communicate the issue – to ensure that children and their families have access to quality home visitation and early care and education services.
We support the tireless work of public and private early child development programs in the Richmond region and share the vision of that “All children, ages 0-6 will be healthy, well-cared for, and ready to succeed in school” by:
A - Advocating for public policy that supports children. Success By 6 engages and motivates businesses, service providers, and local and state leaders to recognize early child development as a critical investment and fund early childhood programs at levels that make a difference in the lives of children.
B - Building Capacity by enhancing the quality and quantity of programs for families with young children. Success By 6 engages and motivates service providers, parents and the community to find solutions to critical needs and to identify the resources to implement change.
C - Communicating to raise awareness about early childhood development. Success By 6 helps the community “connect the dots.” When children get to school ready to learn, they are more likely to read at grade level and are more likely to graduate. When they graduate, they are more likely to get a job or go on to higher education. The result is successful, employed, tax-paying adults, who are more likely to be good parents and this desired cycle is more likely to repeat.
"Investing in children's early care makes economic sense."
Katherine E. Busser, Senior Vice President, Capital One Financial Corporation
Issues
According to recent studies, 1 out of 5 children enter kindergarten without the basic skills needed to succeed in school - skills such as recognizing letters or numbers, holding a pencil, or understanding appropriate group behavior. Early childhood research is converging to tell us that the quality of care provided to young children significantly influences their school success as well as life success.
Facts:
- 62% of parents of preschool-age children work outside the home, making quality child care essential.
- 22,967 of the Commonwealth’s children under the age of 4 are considered at-risk. (23% of all 4 year olds in 2003-2004)
- $7-9 return on investment is anticipated for every $1 spent on early care and education.
- In Virginia, for every $1.00 invested in a school-aged child…58.6 cents is invested in a college-aged youth (19-23), but only 9.6 cents is invested in a pre-school aged child (3-5), and only 4.3 cents is invested in an infant or toddler (birth to 2).
- 11,692 Virginia children in grades K-3 were not promoted in the 2002-2003 school year (which accumulates to $95.7 million spent for those children to repeat that grade).
"Quality pre-kindergarten cuts crime."
Colonel Rodney D. Monroe, Chief of Police, Richmond City
Early Care & Education (Early Child Development)
Every year is very important from the prenatal period through age 6. Those years provide children with experiences that lead to developing a broad base of knowledge, cognitive skills and important social-emotional skills. These are the years of rapid brain growth, when the child's brain reaches 90% of its adult size. Without adequate support, from good maternal health and prenatal care to early education, children can fall far behind in their academic and social skills before they even reach kindergarten. These early gaps tend to widen rather than close later on. Early childhood development is the preparation of children for school and life. By establishing a foundation, a child enters school ready to learn and therefore has a greater chance of success in the educational system and eventually within the workforce. The early years set the groundwork for a higher quality of life.
But not all families are equipped with parenting skills and resources. Home visitor programs such as Healthy Families Virginia and Children’s Health Involving Parents (CHIP) of Virginia work to help low income parents become more self sufficient and understand school readiness. View the following video narrated by Magnus Johnson and produced by CHIP and AVP to gain a better understanding of the program.
>> Watch Video (Coming Soon)
School Readiness
School readiness is about children's ability to adjust to the demands of school. Beyond basic abilities and knowledge in language and math, children need broader underlying cognitive, social and emotional skills and the capacity to continue to learn and gain understanding. They must be able to interact with others positively, pay attention, remember lessons taught, follow a teacher's directions, finish tasks, and practice independently what they have learned. They must be able to control their emotions, and they must be persistent even when learning seems tough. Children's readiness for school also depends on their physical health.
"Children must start school ready to learn."
Stewart D. Robertson. Ph.D., Superintendent, Hanover County Schools
Support Early Child Development
Why?
Less remediation, reduction in crime, increase in graduation rates and increase in employment.
- The child benefits – By having an opportunity to do well in school and succeed in life.
- The Commonwealth benefits – By ensuring that more students enter school ready to learn, SOL scores will increase and remediation expenses will decrease.
- Society benefits – A better educated workforce helps attract businesses and creates jobs.
- The taxpayer benefits – Students that succeed are less likely to turn to crime or need public assistance and are more likely to become productive, tax paying citizens. In fact, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis found that for every $1 invested in ready-to-learn programs the long-term savings to government and society were between $7-9.
How?
Redirect state and local dollars in Virginia’s budget. Help us increase Virginia’s financial investment in the work of CHIP (a home visitor program) of Virginia, Healthy Families, and the Virginia Preschool Initiative.
- Invest in early childhood development programs. Contribute money, influence policy, or simply promote the work.
- Recognize childcare as a critical industry. There are There are 4,000 individuals working in the childcare industry in the Richmond region. Offer incentives to create and improve quality child care programs.
- Support childcare workforce development. Invest in scholarships and incentives for childcare workers to upgrade their education. Work to reduce turnover through childcare salary increases.
- Understand your employees’ needs regarding child care. Know the availability and affordability of childcare, and how it affects your employees and your workplace. Consult the Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network at http://www.vaccrrn.org/early_childcare.pdf.
"Families need tools for literacy."
Colleen A. Kraft, M.D., Pediatrician and President, Virginia-American Academy of Pediatrics
Who Is Involved?
Leaders representing different sectors of the Greater Richmond region including government, business/finance, health/human services, and education have been selected to serve on the newly formed Regional Early Childhood Development Leadership Council. Members include representatives from: Anthem, Capital One Services, Inc., Chesterfield County, City of Richmond, Dominion, Exclusive Staffing, Greater Richmond Chamber, Hanover County, HCA, Henrico County, Owens & Minor, Rainbow Station, Richmond Police Department, United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg, University of Richmond, Venturi Staffing, Verizon, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Commonwealth University-Medical College, Virginia Union University, and YMCA of Greater Richmond.
The Council is chaired by Thomas N. Chewning, Executive VP and CFO of Dominion and vice-chaired by Katherine Busser, Sr. VP of Capital One Financial Corporation. The purpose of the Council is to provide advice, guidance and assistance to Success By 6 in the execution of its work plan, assist Success By 6 in accomplishing its mission, share expertise, and assist with the leveraging of resources to support Success By 6’s priorities. Additionally, the leadership council will work to support a long-term, community-wide strategy around the entire continuum of early childhood development.
Sponsors
The Greater Richmond Chamber added the Youth Matters Initiative to its family in 1996. Youth Matters was the only business-led Urban Health Initiative Site. It joined a widely varied array of Chamber services and activities designed to contribute to the prosperity of the Richmond Region. In July 2006, The Chamber and United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg formed a partnership to merge Youth Matters and Success By 6 ®. The new regional partnership, which will retain the Success By 6 ® name, is expected to guide the vision and strategy for improving early childhood development programs for children from birth to age 6. The new Success By 6 ® will retain staff from both organizations, bringing their respective strengths to bear on the issues surrounding early childhood development.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has made a major commitment to youth health and safety through its Urban Health Initiative. This national philanthropy organization has focused on making grants to improve the health and health care of all Americans for more than 25 years. Youth Matters was one of five Urban Health Initiative sites along with Oakland (California), Detroit Metropolitan area, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
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