Impact of Childcare, Health and Education on Young Children

For our special series, Right from the Start NJ, Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with Keri Logosso-Misurell, Esq., Director, Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition, about the critical impact education, health and childcare have on the development of infants and toddlers birth to three years old.

4/18/18 #2127

 

 

 

 

Excerpt:

"We are pleased to be joined by our good friend Keri Logosso-Misurell, Director of the Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition. Keri, I want to thank you. You've joined us many many times here on public television, but this particular time deals with this initiative called Right From the Start NJ. First of all, before we talk a little bit about the coalition, talk about the importance of this campaign, this public awareness campaign, Right From the Start. So Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition is a nonprofit whose mission is to achieve health equality for the residents of Newark. And Right From the Start campaign is about getting rid of inequalities and setting the stage for the best possible chance for equitable lives for children and families. So let's break this down a little bit. The Right From the Start... excuse me, Right From the start NJ is all about... I keep saying birth to three, but it's really prenatal to three? Yup. And giving those infants and toddlers every opportunity, right? To become what they can become. What inequities are we talking about? So in the prenatal period in particular, and birth through three, there's a lot of brain development that's happening. The most in your life is happening in that critical period. The most? And so you want to maximize the opportunity to create healthy brain development and brain functioning, but there's also another layer. Especially in the prenatal period, there's an opportunity to help the mom understand her health better, and her stress level, and her life, and how she can be better supported to be the best parent that she can be. And that also has a positive impact on the development of her child. What would it take...? It's interesting. Some of this is about public policy. Some of it is about societal attitudes. But some of it is about parents themselves. Can you talk about the societal responsibility? To help? So I think the societal responsibility is tremendous. It's probably the most important responsibility we have, because we want to unlock people's potential, right? So we want people to be... Right. People want to be the best parents they can be. People want to be the best people they can be. So to me, the Right From the Start campaign is about giving people the knowledge and the tools to help them get there. What happens if a two year old... he or she does not get quality, consistent, impactful child care? What could happen for that child? Because of economics? Because of access? Because of a whole range of reasons? What happens? So when we say, you know, he's..."