Brain Development

Killingly, Conn. — The Northeast School Readiness Council celebrated two years of hard work Tuesday night when it unveiled its Community Plan for Killingly, Plainfield and Putnam young children and their families.

The four-pronged plan addresses education, physical health, mental health and safety for children from birth through age 8 in the three towns, and separate committees were organized to study each issue. The committees included parents and educators. The ultimate goal of the plan was to create  “healthy, safe and successful learners.”

Anyone who is paying attention knows that early childhood education is one of the best investments a society can make.

The returns, in terms of life outcomes for at-risk children who attend high-quality preschools, are significantly better than any other intervention society has dreamed up, including remedial education, job training or jail, where far too many kids who get off to a poor start in life end up.

By awarding two New Britain groups a $65,000 grant, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has put the spotlight on an important issue — the role of mothers in the creation of academically successful children.

The money will be used to fund a collaborative project between Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut and the YWCA, both based in New Britain, to help mothers with low literacy skills. The program targets those whose children are 8 years of age or younger.