Ready. Set. Grow. Adams County, Illinois

ready set growYOU have the power to shape your child’s future. 

Did you know that every time we talk, read, and play with our children, their brains are growing the foundation upon which all future learning is built?

Parents and caregivers have what it takes to grow their child’s brain and impact their future. Everyday moments like bathing, diapering, buckling the car seat, shopping, going for a walk, playing, and looking at a book are opportunities to connect and can have lasting positive effects. In the first few years of life, 700 new neural connections are formed in the brain every second. When parents respond to their babies and talk with their babies they are growing neural connections before the baby is one year old.

Talking with babies and toddlers is powerful. Vocabulary and language skills, at 3 years old, predict third grade school achievement at age nine.  Vocabulary use in first grade can predict more than 30 percent of eleventh-grade reading comprehension. And, first grade number sense predicts 5th grade math test scores. [Early Number sense plays a role in later math skills] Many parents don’t realize the tremendous effect their words have on their children. 

All parents and caregivers deserve to know about their power to shape their children’s futures.  Learn about our projects and learn how to be a brain builder.