In today’s busy world, many families seek care outside the home for their children from birth to age four. These experiences are known to have a direct impact on the child’s ability to learn. Quality care includes healthy, safe environments for children with trained teachers, providers and staff offering consistent, positive, responsive interactions with the children while focusing on creative, varied age appropriate learning activities.

Considering that 90% of a child’s brain develops during the first three years of life, quality child care from birth can affect the kind of learner a child becomes. So, quality care is at least an investment in your child for the future and in a much larger sense, an investment in the future of your neighborhood, your community, and in society at large.

The people who spend the most time with children during these early years – their parents and child care providers – greatly affect a child’s development. Everyday experiences in a child’s life are learning opportunities and can be taken advantage of and enhanced by parents and caregivers. A child’s physical, nutritional, emotional and social development – most of which occurs at home or in child care – are as important as his or her academic development.