Predicting the Future for Our Children

The average Internet user sees about 33 videos a month, according to research. Almost every one of us has sent a video link to a friend or family member for them to watch.

Your child learns skills that help him be successful as you speak!​ Tweet this!

We’ve produced one called First Years – Predict the Future; we hope you’ll watch it and send it to a friend, because it summarizes a message that matters a great deal for Memphis — the first years of a child’s life predict his future.

The Future Starts Now

The new video focuses on the future of our children, but it also speaks to the future of Memphis itself. The Memphis metro area has a high proportion of children compared to the other 51 largest metros. 40 percent of our children are living in poverty. Because of this, we should lead the nation in our commitment to making sure that the first three years of every child’s life are a time of optimal cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Turning Concern Into Action

Today, we live amidst a glut of information: 24-hour news channels, never-ending social media, and more than 100 hours of videos posted online every minute. So it’s not a surprise that at times it is hard to sort through all the information coming at us and focus on the facts that matter most.

That’s why we created First Years – Predict the Future. Like our Baby Small video from a year ago, it’s part of our efforts to distill early child development down to its essence and to explain succinctly why the first three years of a child’s brain development represent an irreplaceable opportunity for setting him on a course to future achievement and success.

Everyone in Memphis and Shelby County cares about the future of our children. Now we need this widespread compassion to be translated into action. It all begins with your help in spreading the word about how the first years can define a child’s future.

Going Viral With Early Childhood

We’re asking you to share this video and its important message with your friends and family. In the meantime, we’ll continue doing our part — for example, we’re also broadcasting it on television to make sure that we reach the largest possible audience.

We hope you’ll take 30 seconds to watch this video and help make its message heard by your family, your neighborhood, your house of faith, and your city. It’s an important step toward making children and their futures a top priority for our community.

If the children of Memphis and Shelby County are given a strong start in life during their first three years, it will be easy to predict the future for them: they will be successful beyond all expectations.