According to Mark Shriver, senior vice president of Save the Children - a nonprofit dedicated to early learning - approximately 90 percent of brain development happens before six years of age. However, the bulk of public education in the U.S. doesn't begin until kids enter kindergarten.
In an effort to promote early education - particularly in the most remote and rural areas of California - the First 5 San Bernardino organization has allocated $2.3 million to funding an initiative that will be coordinated by Save the Children.
"We are pleased to partner with Save the Children to provide school readiness services to children in remote areas so that [they] may be better prepared to enter and succeed in school," said First 5 San Bernardino director Karen E. Scott. She added that the group aims "to promote and enhance the health and early development of [kids], prenatal through age five, their families and communities."
Save the Children will be using the funds for its Early Steps to School Success (ESSS) program, which provides home visits to low-income families. Educators hope that this will promote proper brain development in young children and help them acquire the skills that they will need for success both in school and later life.
