Early Childhood Belief Statement

Children are the future of our society and they have a right to a quality childhood which includes

An accepting environment that responds to and promotes individual differences, appreciation of individual capabilities, and respect regardless of a person's health, developmental, economic, or social status or their cultural background
An environment surrounded by caring and responsible adults who help them develop self-confidence and the ability to make appropriate choices and decisions
An environment that promotes and supports good health and nutrition
An environment in which they can express their feelings, joy, curiosity, hunger, fear, happiness and receive an appropriate response from adults
A nurturing environment that provides opportunities for meaningful relationships with both children and adults
A supportive environment that fosters development at a pace appropriate to each individual child and where children can explore and initiate their own learning
A rich and responsive language environment, both verbal and written
An environment that reinforces and celebrates their developmental accomplishments and guides the practice of newly acquired skills
A dependable environment that will serve to counter the stress of insecurity experienced by all children during normal growth and change
A nurturing environment that protects them from inappropriate disapproval, teasing and/or punishment

Nurturing their child's physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development
Preparing and committing the time, energy, and resources needed for good parenting
Accepting the responsibility to develop parenting skills and abilities
Seeking and utilizing support for the difficult task of parenting
Responsive, respectful, reciprocal partnerships with professionals

Everyone in the community shares a responsibility/role for all children's well being (i.e. social, emotional, physical, and intellectual)
The nurturing, care, health and education of young children are inseparable
All citizens are viewed as both learners and teachers
Responsive, respectful, reciprocal partnerships are built with parents
Partnerships are developed within the community for children to be successful
Systems, especially schools, are ready to serve all children based on the child's development rather than expecting children to be prepared for a fixed school curriculum
Assessment is based on multiple and longitudinal measures and is used with resources in the best interest of the child
Services are nondiscriminatory, multicultural and have integrated curricula that meet the needs of those served.

Recognize the childhood experience as a major determinant of a child's later success or risk of failure
Reduce fragmentation and develop a comprehensive early childhood system that addresses the whole child
Value and support the needs of families with different compositions, cultures, and build on the strengths of existing delivery models/service systems
Allocate and provide incentives for prevention, partnerships, and foundation building
Reflect and encourage the collective participation of all major stakeholders in the community
Value early childhood professionals (including monetarily) on a basis comparable to other educators for their contributions
Design a common early childhood certification system, to "bridge" career opportunities, and improve the quality of services to young children

For questions about this information, contact Jill A. Haglund (608) 267-9625

Last updated on 2/25/2008 9:07:47 AM