Early Nurturing

Children gain the key skills for school readiness through day-to-day experiences that encourage their social growth and learning. Extensive research shows that the relationships children have with their parents and caregivers play a significant role in this growth, since stable and secure relationships are central to healthy human development.

We know that parent/caregiver relationships that are characterized by nurturing, allow very young children to develop a strong sense of self, an ability to cooperate, an interest in exploration and learning, an awareness of being able to cause things to happen, and self-esteem.

Any number of circumstances, such as poverty, high levels of stress, poor mental or physical health, marital strife and domestic violence can diminish nurturance and interrupt early childhood development. For many parents and caregivers, having a support network of people and services they trust enables them to provide the stable and enriched care that all children need.

Parents are their children’s first teachers, and all parents need support at some time in raising their children. Parents need a continuum of support with the ability to access a range of services based upon changing needs. Improving the quality of information and support services for parents will increase their ability to help their children succeed in school and life.

Low-income children and children of color are disproportionately represented in many “at risk” categories, and their parents are especially in need of support. Support for teen parents is also critical. Parent support services should be culturally competent, linguistically accessible and grounded in sound principles of family support.

On behalf of the Early Learning Council of Washington Learns, United Way of King County convened an Ad Hoc Parent Support Advisory Group to propose strategies for addressing parent support needs. This group identified five “pillars of support" which parents need to be successful. They are:

1. Individualized and personal support
2. Informal research and self-education
3. Group and personal support
4. Formalized education
5. Readily accessible information, referral and advice

There are a number of high quality programs promoting “the pillars” in King County, including home visiting services, information and referral, family centers, early childhood education programs, and parent education classes. These occur in various community settings, and are provided by a variety of community, public and faith-based organizations, and many of them operate within the parameters of research-based best practices. It is the consensus of the community that increased resources in support of these efforts are necessary to having an effective and accessible parent support system.
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