When families with young children can count on a steady income, they are better able to support their children’s early brain development. This is a particular issue as unemployment rates hover around 10 percent in our Memphis community.
Poverty. Infant mortality. Homelessness. High dropout rates in our schools. I often hear, 'I want to help, but I don't know if what I can do will really make a difference in Memphis. ' My heart, as well as my years of experience in social services, tells me that people are indeed making a difference. Moreover, the various efforts already in place can be taken to scale to better serve at-risk children, families and communities in our city, if we do the right things.
Persistent emotional difficulties can make effective parenting hard, and cause long-lasting problems for a child's brain development. We all face stress at some point in our lives. Job pressures, health problems and relationship difficulties are only a few of the stress-producing circumstances that affect most of us at one time or another.
