Posted August 24, 2010

by Mary Louise McClintock, Early Childhood Program Director

We’re excited to be working with partner organizations to bring former New York Times Magazine editor Paul Tough, the author of Whatever It Takes, Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America, to speak in Portland next month. 

Tough will be speaking on how children’s early experiences affect their ability to be successful in school.  We’re looking forward to being able to share his thoughts and insights with the broader community.

Geoffrey Canada has developed a system of pre-birth-to-college support in Harlem. Author Paul Tough spent five years observing Canada’s process and meeting with the administrators, teachers and students who make up the Harlem Children’s Zone’s “Promise Neighborhood.” The story of how this has played out is astonishing and Tough’s book is a page-turner. Impressed with Geoff Canada’s approach and results so far, the Obama Administration has proposed funding for Promise Neighborhood replication sites around the country.  

In my years in the early childhood field, I have seen increased recognition -- around the state and in the nation -- of the critical role that early childhood development plays in the health and well-being of the child, the adult they become and society as a whole. The Harlem Children’s Zone appears to be one more example of how investments in our youngest children and their families can pay off in later school success. 

For more than a decade OCF has been a leader in funding early childhood programs around the state. OCF’s Ready to Learn program has provided grants that help parents become better first teachers to their children, child care workers learn valuable techniques and young children attain the skills they need to succeed in school. It will take effective approaches in all of these areas to ensure that all young children enter school ready to learn.

We know that investing in early childhood education reaps benefits for life. It is, indeed, where we get the most “bang for the buck.” At OCF, we have renewed our commitment to investing in best practices and extending our reach so that our nonprofit partners can touch more young lives. We encourage you to join us in our efforts.

If you’re interested in Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children’s Zone, you may be interested in these articles:

Steal This Movie, Too, op-ed by Thomas Friedman on the hard work Geoffrey Canada and others are finding it takes to fix our schools. 08/24/2010

Congress Moves to Cut Proposed Promise Neighborhoods Funds 08/03/2010