Early Steps to School Success - Save the Children

Early Steps to School Success - Save the Children:

Early Steps to School Success

Jennifer Garner visits Save the Children Programs in California. Watch the video above. Make Preschool a Priority TAKE ACTION Growing Up in America All children are born ready to learn, but for 16 million children living in poverty in America, they enter school unready to succeed. Actor Jennifer Garner visits with school children who are participants of a Save the Children reading program at LBJ Elementary School in, Kentucky. Photo by David Stephenson Before even walking through the classroom door, American children living in poverty have already fallen behind in school. By age 4, children from low-income families are up to 18 months behind their peers developmentally. A child's brain is already 80 % formed by age 3; 90 % by age 5. But children in poverty are less likely to attend preschool and often live in households where early learning activities are few and far between. Closing the Achievement Gap before It Starts The best way to ensure all children have a fair chance at a brighter future is to give each child the opportunity to learn and grow early on. Our Early Steps to School Successprogram lays a critical foundation of language and literacy skills for children from birth to age 5, so they can enter school ready to succeed. Through home visits, book exchanges, parenting groups, and an emphasis on transition to school, Early Steps staff helps children with language, social and emotional development, and equips parents and caregivers with the skills to successfully support children's growth. Jennifer Garner Advocates for Education Jennifer Garner, actor and mother of three, has been an advocate for Save the Children's early education programs. In places like Garner's home state of West Virginia, where generational poverty is a barrier to children's success, early childhood education is fundamental to breaking the cycle of poverty. "[Advocating], to me, is one of the most important actions we can undertake," she said. Together, Save the Children and Jennifer Garner are working to ensure that every child in America has access to quality education from cradle to cap and gown. In the News Actor Jennifer Garner and Save the Children's Mark Shriver advocate for legislation that equalizes early childhood education. Watch the interview on CNN below. Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited rural Kentucky to showcase the benefits of preschool education. Read the Article Huffington Post Blogs America Can't Afford to Waitlist Its Children's Future —Mark Shriver A Shoulder to Lean on When Moms Need It Most— Jennifer Garner When Children are Born Learning — Susan A. Buffett Dream Weavers: Why Early Childhood Education Matters — Manny Chirico  It's Common Sense to Come Together for Our Kids — Chris Dodd & Dr. Bill First America's Kids Start Learning Way Before Kindergarten — Jim Steyer Early Steps Across the States Fact Sheets Early Steps to School Success Program State Specific Program Fact Sheets Alabama Arkansas Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Nebraska Nevada South Carolina Tennessee Washington Washington DC West Virginia