Why is Early Childhood Important?

The first three years of life are a period of incredible growth in all areas of a baby's development. A newborn's brain is about 25 percent of its approximate adult weight. But by age 3, it has grown dramatically by producing billions of cells and hundreds of trillions of connections, or synapses, between these cells. While we know that the development of a young child's brain takes years to complete, we also know there are many things parents and caregivers can do to help children get off to a good start and establish healthy patterns for life-long learning. (Zero-Three Brain Development)

Early stimulation sets the stage for how children will learn and interact with others throughout life. A child's experiences, good or bad, influence the wiring of his brain and the connection in his nervous system. Loving interactions with caring adults strongly stimulate a child's brain, causing synapses to grow and existing connections to get stronger. Connections that are used become permanent. If a child receives little stimulation early on, the synapses will not develop, and the brain will make fewer connections. (What We Know About How Children Learn University of Maine)

A child's social-emotional development is as important as her brain and physical development. It is her desire to connect with others that motivates her to learn. Her sense of who she is in the world deeply impacts how much and how well she learns, as well as the quality of the relationships she builds with others. (Zero-Three Brain Development)

As a result, early education plays a vital role in Colorado's economic development and quality of life. An investment in young children is an investment in our community's future work force. Multiple industry sources, including the US Chamber of Commerce, The Wall Street Journal, the Business Roundtable, Business Week, and The New America Foundation, among others, have recognized that quality early education is critical to long-term business success.

Arapahoe County Early Childhood Council provides an efficient, community-based infrastructure to help families find the services they need. The ACECC is composed of community leaders from early care and education, health, mental health and family support programs working together toward comprehensive goals to meet the needs of providers, parents and children.

Read a Case Study of Two Early Childhood Councils: Arapahoe and Fremont Counties