TITLE
Recommendation to designate April 2010 as the Month of the Young Child in the City of Long Beach to encourage the improvement of early learning opportunities that address all learning domains that can provide a foundation of learning for children in Long Beach.
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services Early Childhood Education Committee and other childcare providers throughout our city and the nation are celebrating April 2010 as the Month of the Young Child. These organizations are working to improve early learning opportunities that address all learning domains that can provide a foundation of learning for children in Long Beach. Teachers and others who make a difference in the lives of young children in our community deserve thanks and recognition. Public policies that support early learning for all young children are crucial to the future of young children.
Federal, state and local government, communities, parents, and the private sector must share in the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of children and families. We can and must do more to create opportunities that help all children and families succeed. We can invest now in our children and families and enjoy long-term savings, with a more vibrant nation of healthy, achieving children and more stable families. Or we can fail to make the investment and pay the price: increased delinquency, greater educational failures, lowered productivity, less economic competitiveness, and fewer adults prepared to be effective, loving parents to the next generation of children.
The Month of the Young Child is an opportunity for programs, related organizations, communities, states, and cities to focus on the needs of young children and their families. There are countless ways to celebrate the week, which is first and foremost a grassroots effort. By proclaiming April 2010 as the Month of the Young Child in Long Beach, we encourage all residents to work to make a good invest...
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