Our words count. In more ways than many of us ever realized. It’s been 18 years since Betty Hart and Todd Risley published their landmark study on the giant gap – 30 million – in words heard by young children depending on their socio-economic status. In the last six months, we’ve seen an explosion of Read More
Attendance matters, even in child care
If somebody asks whether showing up for work every day makes a difference in how well someone does his job, you’d probably think, “Of course it does.” We have the same response about students’ attendance at school. To mark September as the first-ever Attendance Awareness Month, Debi Baldwin (a Best Beginnings board member and director Read More
Our role in Imagination Library: Something quite different
You might be surprised to learn that Best Beginnings doesn’t enroll a single child in Imagination Library. Yet through Best Beginnings and our generous supporters, 20,772 children – 38.5% of all Alaska children under 5 – are now receiving a book every month through their local Imagination library. So what exactly do we do? We Read More
New statistic raises important questions
All Alaska children begin school ready to succeed – that’s Best Beginnings’ vision. But how do we know if they are “ready to succeed”? Here’s a startling new statistic. Fewer than 20 percent of children entering kindergarten in Alaska are prepared in all the ways experts say is important for success in school. That’s according Read More
Our Voices Count
Talk about a frenetic time. When the House Finance Subcommittee on Education unexpectedly reduced funding for Best Beginnings and Parents as Teachers, people who believe in what we’re doing came out of the woodwork to share their stories. We won’t have a final answer on funding for early learning until the operating budget is approved. Read More
Imagination Library books for Alaska Native Medical Center Newborns
The Healthy Alaska Natives Foundation (HANF) is continuing its support of Imagination Library for a second year in a row. With its contribution to Best Beginnings, the foundation funds Imagination Library for Alaska Native Medical Center newborns. HANF seeks to inspire a great start to a healthy life, in part by helping children be ready Read More
New Year’s Resolutions
Who can resist New Year’s resolutions? I certainly can’t. So here are a few of mine: Give a “pat on the back” through a friendly nod or smile when I see parents interacting with their young children in positive ways. Encourage my own grown children (parents themselves) and other young parents I know to keep Read More
Welcome new board members
Building a strong organization capable of catalyzing support for early childhood takes committed leadership. It’s my pleasure to let you know the following people were recently elected to the Best Beginnings Board of Directors: Gara Bridwell, a professor of early childhood education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Lorie Morris, chief executive officer at Alaska Read More
Books for The Children’s Hospital at Providence Newborns
The Children’s Hospital at Providence enrolls new babies born at their facility in Imagination Library – and covers the costs for their first year. The program began with a generous gift of $100,000, supporting approximately 300 newborns each month through 2011. Since then, The Children’s Hospital at Providence (TCHAP) has provided $25,000 to support enrollments Read More
Babies on Track premieres huge success
All across Alaska, volunteer hosts rolled out the red carpet to launch the video and distribute free copies of the Babies on Track DVD and companion baby board books. Hospitals, libraries, child care providers, employer groups – even grandpas –scheduled movie premieres during the week of February 25 to March 4 and made plans to Read More