10/18/2024
https://firstup-bloom.kindful.com/e/golf-outing-fall-2024
Our 35th Annual Golf Tournament is being held October 28 at the beautiful French Creek Golf Club. Please join us for a well run, fun day of golf!.
If you don't understand why this mission is important.. why First Up: Champions for Early Education supports, prioritizes and fights for child care and Early Childhood Education and why it should be important to all of us, please read what I wrote below.
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Imagine if this country placed as much emphasis and investment in Early Childhood Education as we do in Higher Education. Picture some of the greatest minds at our universities dedicating their time and expertise to the critical years of 0 to 4, instead of focusing primarily on ages 18 to 22. The impact on our country could be profound. In nearly every other sector—whether building a structure, starting a business, training an athlete, or planting a garden—we understand the importance of laying a strong foundation. We invest heavily at the beginning because we know that future success depends on it.
In agriculture, for example, the initial steps of selecting the right seeds, preparing the soil, and providing proper care are essential for healthy growth. Neglecting these early stages leads to weak crops, reduced yields, and long-term damage, making it nearly impossible to achieve a successful harvest.
So why, when it comes to human life, don’t we apply the same principle? Why don’t we view the first four years of a child’s life as the most critical? Poor early practices in child development, just like in any other field, lead to long-term issues that make it harder to build a thriving society.
When we look at the biggest issues facing this country, such as the economy, gun control, violent crime, and racial and ethnic inequality—many of these could be more effectively addressed with a stronger focus on Early Childhood Education. It's the long game. And as with most important things, there’s no quick and easy fix. We have to change our approach.
We’ve been so focused on "day care," and later the more socially acceptable term "child care," that we've lost sight of the real issue. "Child care" is a bit of a misnomer because it implies we’re only concerned with our child’s safety while we’re at work. It’s less about education and more about providing a safe space for our kids. Any learning that happens along the way is just a bonus. While safety is, of course, a crucial aspect of early care, the real focus should be on education—education through play in a loving environment for all children. That’s the ticket!
What we really should be talking about isn’t just Higher Education, but Early Education. Universities have accumulated over $900 billion in endowments that continue to grow. They receive hundreds of millions in donations from alumni each year and aren’t taxed. While child care centers struggle to stay open, parents can barely afford to pay for it and child care teachers are still among the worst paid. If you ask me, Higher Education should support Early Education. It makes so much sense, and the universities wouldn’t even feel it financially.
Early Childhood Education is where the magic happens. That’s when real change can begin in this country. By supporting initiatives like First Up and a movement to prioritize Early Childhood Education, you’re supporting the foundation of our society—our children—and a hope for a better future.
