For more information on Dr. Sparrow’s presentation, please click here and refer to:

Track B: Child Health and Prenatal Services

PLENARY: Prenatal Brain Development: Nurturing Babies in a Healthy Environment

Monday, June 3, 2013 • 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EDT

Things are moving and they are moving fast!

In April, the Obama administration announced a new early learning initiative that will expand high-quality early learning opportunities for children ages birth to five.

This plan is definitely bold. $75 billion dollars bold to be exact. But now that the plan has been announced, it is our job to create a groundswell of support and move it forward.

But we can’t do this alone. Here is what we need you to do:

1. If you represent a national, state, or local organization, please sign on as a supporter of the Strong Start for Children – Building America’s Future campaign. A letter with all signers will be presented to the White House. The comprehensive campaign principles and link to join can be found here.
2. If you haven’t done so already, please take a second to thank President Obama for his new early learning initiative. Each and every thank you note will be delivered to the White House in the second week of May.
3. Please save the date and start planning for the Early Learning Day of Action on May 29. On this day, organizations across the country will host events in support of President Obama’s Early Learning initiative. The goal is to generate as many press worthy and attention-getting events as possible. As you move forward with your planning, please note that these events can and should take many forms — member visits to child care centers and preschool programs, press conferences, rallies and other events with allies such as the business community, education community, etc. If you can organize a local event, please email the details to strongstartforchildren@gmail.com.

Thanks for everything you do. I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Helen Blank
Director of Child Care and Early Learning
National Women’s Law Center

Michael Petit
President
Every Child Matters Education Fund

To complete this year’s post Forum evaluation, please visit here or cut and paste this link into a new window. Or cut and paste the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ForumEval2013

Many thanks and much appreciation to our Brazelton Touchpoints communities for all of your thoughts and warm wishes for our safety and care for our heavy hearts.

Here in Boston, our Brazelton Touchpoints Center staff and their families and friends are all safe and physically unharmed, but it has touched us all very profoundly — from family members and friends who were running, to spectators who were at the finish line, or to first responders who have been working around the clock. We are heartsick for the children whose families have been hurt or lost and for the families whose children were harmed. We are proud of our colleagues at Boston Children’s Hospital who were on the front lines and are continuing to care for the children and families who were admitted yesterday.
In fellowship, peace and renewed commitment to our work together — one child, one family, one community at a time.

Terry Ann Lunt,
Executive Director
Brazelton Touchpoints Center

Our Forum is on May 3-4, 2013 and it is time to register and book your hotel rooms.  The hotel rooms are filling up and we only have a limited number reserved.  The last day to book is March 30th but to secure a room, call today! There is very limited rooms left for Wednesday, 5/1 so call now!

Marriott Courtyard Boston Downtown/Tremont, 275 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. Dial (617) 426-1400 and mention Brazelton Touchpoints/Childrens Hospital to get our negotiated rate of $169+tax/night.  Make reservations now, our rate is only guaranteed until March 30th (based on availability).

To learn more about the Forum, please visit here.

To REGISTER for the Forum, please click here.

Despite the high stakes, yet another day has gone by and Congress is still set to allow a series of automatic budget cuts starting on Friday that punishes millions of children. Congress continues to fail in its job to reach agreement on responsible deficit reduction.

These cuts, among many, will occur unless Congress acts:

• Taking nutrition aid from 600,000 pregnant women and infants
• Revoking rental housing assistance from 125,000 low income families
• Booting 70,000 three and four year olds from the Head Start early education program
• Denying child care assistance to 30,000 children
• Ending services to 1,200,000 low income students in Kindergarten through 12th grade
• Canceling treatment for mental illness for 373,000 adults and children

These cuts will cost Americans 700,000 jobs, placing greater strains on families. These cuts don’t have to happen. We need you to get involved right now. Call your member of Congress and tell them to stop these mindless cuts. These cuts are bad for children, bad for families, and bad for America. There is no economic and policy rationale for making them and they must be stopped.

Michael Petit, President, Every Child Matters Education Fund

On February 15, President Obama awarded Dr. Brazelton the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor.

Greetings came in from all over the world congratulating Dr. Brazelton, who will turn 95 this spring, and recognizing the impact of his life’s work and his continuing commitment to children, families and entire communities through the work of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center.

“Promoting healthy development starts at a child’s earliest moments, and Dr.Brazelton has tirelessly advocated for the need to invest in vulnerable children as early as possible, in order to ensure success throughout pre-school, kindergarten, and beyond,” said Susan Buffett, visionary and philanthropic leader in the field of early childhood, both in Nebraska and nationwide, and founder of the Sherwood Foundation and Buffett Early Childhood Fund. “Under his lead, we’ve made ground-breaking strides toward optimizing children’s healthy development from day one, when a child’s learning begins.”

Dr. Brazelton’s work reflects a critical focus of President Obama’s agenda in the second-term. The President highlighted in his State of the Union Address last week the importance of promoting children’s early learning and guaranteeing high-quality preschool programs for all children, despite family income.