Westchester County is home to nearly one million people. A recent estimate by the American Community Survey put the total population at 949,355 with about 18% of those residents children from birth to 13 years old (American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau). Nearly half of our residents are in the labor force: over 41,000 Westchester children under 6 years of age have working parents (American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau).
Quality early care and education keeps Westchester County working. It is also the “feeder system” for our schools. Though some may continue to think that a child’s “real education” does not begin until he or she takes a seat in kindergarten or even first grade, recent brain research offers a compelling argument- most of a child’s brain is fully developed by age 5 and the nature of that development is influenced by the stimulation and nurturance the child has received- or not. Longitudinal studies show that a quality early childhood experience pays off in multiple ways with improved school performance, higher rates of high school graduation and college attendance, and increased lifetime earnings; those children also register lower levels of legal system/court involvement and special education services.
For older children, participation in quality after school programs supports and enriches learning, builds social skills, and provides a critical alternative to gang involvement, criminal behavior, and experimentation with drugs and alcohol.
The availability of quality early care and education is of significant importance to every child, every parent, every school district, every employer and every taxpayer in the Westchester County community.
