UI president says early years crucial for success of children
URBANA – In August 2006, B. Joseph White was bicycling around campus on move-in day – one of his favorite days of the year – talking to new students and their parents.
The University of Illinois president thought how lucky all those freshmen were, then started wondering about all the 18-year-olds who weren't starting college that day – and why.
What he learned is that the path to educational success starts long before a student sets foot on a college campus – not in high school or elementary school, but in the early childhood years.
"A cornerstone of preparation for all that lies ahead is the health and wellness of the fetus, then the infant, the toddler and the child," White said Thursday, calling early childhood programs and public education the "human capital investment in America's children."
White gave the keynote address at the Pampered Chef Family Resiliency Program, the kickoff for today's Ilinois Summit on Early Childhood and Healthy Beginnings at the UI. The summit is designed as a "call to action" to promote healthy development during the preschool years.
The title of White's talk was "Brilliant Futures for America's Children," a nod to the UI fundraising campaign.
White, whose training is in business administration, was invited to speak about a year ago after giving a speech to business leaders in Chicago on the importance of investing in early childhood development.
The president of the state's flagship public university often extols the benefits of a college education.
"The higher your level of education, the more likely you are to be employed, earn a higher income, vote, volunteer, give blood, exercise, report better health and have children with higher educational achievement," he said.
You're also less likely to be in prison, smoke or need public assistance. Conversely, a lack of education correlates strongly with poverty, unemployment and early death.
But some trends are alarming, he said. The United States has the second highest percentage of college graduates (after Canada) among adults ages 35 to 64, but ranks 10th among ages 25 to 34, White said.
Equally disturbing is the income distribution of families who send children to college, he said. Half of the children from families in the top fifth in terms of income graduate from college. The number drops below 30 percent for the middle quintile and to less than 10 percent in the bottom fifth.
The educational system is a leaky pipeline, he said. Only about 28 percent of Americans graduate from college, and 44 percent never attend. The national high school dropout rate is 15 percent, and Chicago's is more than 50 percent.
How to level the playing field? By investing in quality child care and preschool programs, White and other researchers said. It's much cheaper to prevent problems than fix them later, and research shows the investment pays off, they said.
"Children who are given a strong start and healthy beginnings end up to be better citizens. They stay in school, they graduate from high school, they go on to college," said Barbara Fiese, director of the Family Resiliency Center.
In a long-term study of low-income preschoolers in Ypsilanti, Mich., two-thirds of the children at a model preschool had an IQ of 90 or higher at age 5, compared with 28 percent of a control group. Almost half of the preschool children met basic reading and math requirements at age 14, compared with 15 percent for the control group. Years later, as adults, more than twice as many boys from the preschool were raising their own children, more of them owned their own homes and fewer had been arrested multiple times compared to the control group.
"Quality preschool works," White said, and that means providing a caring environment, good nutrition, appropriate activities, continuity in caregivers and strong parental involvement.
On the flip side, studies show how "adverse childhood experiences" lead to health problems later in life. Child abuse, neglect, substance abuse, parental conflict and mental illness are strongly linked to teen pregnancy, smoking and alcohol abuse. They also increase the risk of heart, liver and chronic lung disease, injuries, suicide and other harmful conditions, White said.
What should parents do? Avoid alcohol and caffeine during pregnancy to ensure proper brain development. Read and talk to your children. Limit the time they spend in front of a television. Eat dinner together as a family. Encourage healthy eating and active play. Make sure they get enough sleep. And set limits through "tough love."
Parenting is "the world's most important work," said White, who brought his father, wife and adult children to Thursday night's talk.
Also on this date
- Residents escape early morning fire in Champaign
- Friends remember 15-year-old slain in scuffle
- Pavement sinks on Walnut Street in downtown Champaign
- UI takes second in solar decathlon competition
- Carle cancels more flu shot clinics
- UI still doesn't have H1N1 vaccine for students
- Gee whiz! The Beav makes a Danville stop
- READY school reeling from Champaign teen's shooting death
- Attorney change postpones sentencing in fatal shooting case
- Obituaries