A Focus on Early Learning, Gives Children Families a Leg

On April 12^th, ParentChild+ and the City University of NY (CUNY) co-sponsored the Early Childhood Development in Underserved Communities conference. The keynote speaker, Puerto Rican-American developmental psychologist and current editor-in-chief of Child Development, Cynthia Garcia Coll, brilliantly explained that children learn in the context of relationships and that their expression is ruled by their environment. As such, it is paramount that children are provided with a stable, nurturing and literacy-rich environment to begin a path toward personal, academic, and professional success.

The Child Center of NY (CCNY) has been working to implement the ParentChild+ model within the Zone 126 catchment area for the last five years and is pleased to announce due to a new grant, that they will be expanding their program model. While they previously helped to support low-income families with children ranging in age from 16 months to four years old, they are now expanding to provide evidence-based services to expectant mothers and their children through the age of five years old. Each participating family will receive weekly home visits from a trained professional who will work with pregnant mothers to ensure school readiness for children and help build a strong parent and child attachment. This aligns to what Coll discussed about the importance of a child’s environment.

This is exciting news for soon to be mothers in the Astoria/Long Island City community. It is another opportunity to continue growing partnerships that support a successful start for children during the early childhood developmental years.