Children's Development Impacts Community

"Early child development can make Memphis sustainable and economically powerful," said Dr. Hank Herrod, a fellow with The Urban Child Institute and former dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to members of the Leadership Academy.

"The young brains of babies and toddlers absorb so much information that almost any positive experience strengthens the brain and changes it for the better, he said.

"In many ways, the adults our children become is based on a blueprint formed during the first three years of their lives -- a time of astonishing brain development, explained Herrod.

"At home, at the grocery store, at the library, in the park -- these are places of learning and, because of it, parents and caregivers play an enormous role in shaping the brain for future learning,'' Herrod said.

"If parents would only remember to do four things with their young children: touch, talk, read and play,'' he said, counting each off on a finger. "These young children are soaking up everything. Pick them up, walk around with them. Talk to them about what they are experiencing. Read books to them. Make games out of any moment. Engage them.

"Many of our kids miss out on important growth at a key time,'' he said. "This doesn't only hurt them, it also hurts our workforce, our neighborhoods, our culture. It keeps our crime rates up and our collective health down. It restricts us as a community,'' he added.

Development comes in many forms, he said. Head Start programs produce more successful kindergarten students and day care centers offer the kind of stimulating environments that help young brains develop at an accelerated rate.

"These structured settings prepare young people for the next 12 years of learning and whatever lies beyond,'' Herrod said. "It's important not only for these children, but for the successful future of Memphis."

Originally appeared in The Commercial Appeal at http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/20/parenting-childrens-development-impacts