Published 12/20/07

Tulalip Tribes begin program to enhance infant and toddler development

 
Babies are born learning, and United Way of Snohomish County, Verizon and the Tulalip Tribes want to ensure they get the best possible start from day one.

Science increasingly shows that the first three years of life are critical for brain development, and that patterns set very early determine how a person learns, forms relationships, gets along in school and work, and even parents later on as an adult.

 
The qualities that make a person secure, sociable, cooperative and competent are formed in the very first months of a child’s life as a child forms attachments—with tremendous pay-off later for the individual and for society in increased success in school, workforce readiness and productivity.

That’s why United Way, Verizon Northwest and the Tulalip Tribes are focusing on babies as young as one month old to assess their social and emotional development, and to work with childcare givers and parents to avoid potential pitfalls and optimize the factors that make a child more resilient.

The Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund has donated $4,000 to pilot a project for infants and toddlers at the Tulalip Early Beginnings Childcare Center using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), and an additional $15,000 has been pledged by the Verizon Foundation. This nationally recognized tool is being used successfully by United Way in over 9 school districts and at over 65 daycare centers in Snohomish County with children ages 2 to 5 years old.

However, this project is the first time such work will be done with infants only a few weeks old, noted Bunny Walters, Early Learning Manager for United Way.

“Research shows that early learning experiences have a profound effect on a child’s development,” said David S. Valdez, senior vice president for Verizon’s Northwest Region. “We are proud to partner with the Tulalip Tribes and United Way of Snohomish County on this project to help ensure children are ready socially and emotionally to succeed in school and in life.”

Almost half of the tribes’ membership is under the age of 18, said general manager Shelly Lacy. “If we can help one child, it makes the program worth it.”

Photo (L to R): Jeanne Dengate, director of Tulalip Early Beginnings Childcare Center; Shelly Lacy, general manager of Tulalip Tribes; Katrina Ondracek, senior manager of Early Learning Initiatives for United Way; John Gustafson, regional public affairs director for Verizon; and Christy Schmuck, childcare provider at Tulalip Early Beginnings Childcare Center.