LOCAL CHILD PROVIDERS HONORED

August 13, 2004

AUGUST 13, 2004 By MICHAEL J. ROSS

AMERICUS -- Local child care providers were honored earlier this week at an event at Little Blessings Daycare and Play School.

The event was facilitated by Visions for Sumter and the United Way of Sumter County's Smart Start Georgia. Proper education and brain stimulation are so important to children three and younger, because this is the time period where brain development is rapidly accelerating, according to representatives of the organization, according to experts.

Children develop better language and cognitive skills when they're nurtured educationally and physically. It's Smart Start's mission to have every child in Georgia prepared and ready to take the advantages of kindergarten, said Sheila Parks of the United Way.

Smart Start extensively trains childcare providers on proper childcare procedures. The organization also helps them obtain age-appropriate toys and furniture for their facilities.

Visions for Sumter Child Care Resource and Referral helps local childcare providers meet the various standards set by Smart Start Georgia. Visions actually shows the providers what they need to do to make their facility the best it can be.

Ninety percent of a child's brain is developed by the time they are three, according to Smart Start officials. "Learning begins at birth," explained Audrey Ewing, Visions for Sumter Child Care Resource and Referral executive director.

She said pre-kindergarten or kindergarten is too late for a child to be exposed to educational and brain-stimulating activities. Visions and Smart Start both recommend parents start reading to their children at a very young age. They said a TV shouldn't be a child's early teacher or companion.

Ewing feels the child care situation in Sumter County is bright. She said many quality child care providers have matured through the hard work and guidance of Visions and Smart Start Georgia.

The three-year-olds of today are the future leaders of tomorrow, believes Ewing. She also believes the proper care of children and their education have a direct correlation with the economic development of Sumter County, because the education of a community's citizens is one of the first things a company evaluates before choosing to move to that community.

Through innovative programs and outreach initiatives, Smart Start is working to improve the quality of early care and education for all children ages birth through five, promoting lifetime learning and ensuring greater achievement throughout the child's education and beyond.

Ewing also said state Sen. George Hooks, D-Americus, has been instrumental with Visions for Sumter Childcare Resource and Referral Agency's work and the improvement of child care in Schley and Sumter counties. Hooks was instrumental in bringing the Smart Start Georgia program to both counties.

"Research shows that building a strong foundation for learning during the early years of a child's life is critical to his or future academic and social success," Hooks explained. 

â?? This article posted with permission from the Americus Times-Recorder.