Pinellas Roundtable Discussion

Posted on 08/03/2011 @ 04:16 PM

Tags: West

Education Begins at Birth
By Becky Newell, State Coordinator, West Fla.

At this week’s Listening Tour meeting in Pinellas County, a dedicated group of community members discussed their concerns and ideas for children in their own community, as well as for children everywhere.

One common thread throughout the meeting was the emphasis on the importance of getting parents to be more involved in all phases of their children’s lives. Several people pointed out the need to work with parents even before their babies are born, to make sure they understand that education begins at birth, and that they can make a huge difference for their children by providing a nurturing environment that provides learning opportunities.

Tying in with parent education, the group also discussed the importance of educating the entire community, including voters, as well as local and state legislators, about the importance of quality child care and early learning opportunities. As Lindsay Carson, Deputy Director of the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County said, “We need to change the perception of pre-kindergarten and school readiness programs, so that people understand that these are truly educational programs, not just babysitting services.”

Martha Lenderman, Board Chair for the Juvenile Welfare Board (the Children’s Services Council of Pinellas County), commented on the economic effect of reduced funding for early childhood programs. She expressed a sense of outrage over these funding cuts. In her words, “The taxpayers are often the same people who are affected by spending cuts. For example, if a young family with two working parents lose their affordable child care options, one parent is likely to become unemployed. Someone has to take care of the children, and will no longer be paying taxes or earning income to help the family.”

Here from one of the attendees:

Roundtable participants