Thrive in Five

Wednesday, March 12 was a good day for the young children of Boston, and their families. The launch of Thrive in Five was the culmination of several years of work to create a vision for Boston's young children and a citywide action plan to prevent the achievement gap. A massive public-private effort convened at the request of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (with a significant and ongoing investment of resources by United Way), Thrive in Five is built on research and recommendations from myriad sectors touching the lives of young children: early education and care, early childhood advocacy, research and higher education, K-12 education, health and mental health, community-based/immigrant/multi-service organizations, parenting education/family support/early intervention programs, basic needs and human services, parent advocacy/engagement programs, faith/arts/culture/recreation organizations, and the foundation and private sector arena.

Whew! Exhausted yet?

Thrive in Five created a common definition of the oft-used term, "school readiness" in order to guide people and organizations across Boston in their efforts to support young children. It reads as follows:

"School readiness is the state of early development and learning that enables an individual child to engage in and benefit from kindergarten learning experiences, which is a stepping stone for sustained school success. Early development encompasses a child's capacity in language development, cognition and general knowledge, approaches tol earning, social and emotional development, physical well being and motor development."

Super! But wait, how is Boston going to get young children to fulfill this definition of school readiness by kindergarten? Well, a formula was developed to illustrate that the onus is not on children themselves. Kids don't get ready for school on their own, and if they're not well-prepared for success it's not their fault. It's the fault of the entities that are supposed to support their healthy development.

Ready Families + Ready Educators + Ready Systems + Ready City = Children Ready for Sustained School Success

ALL of these entities must be equipped to raise and nurture young children. Whose job is it to look out for our young kids? It's the owner of the hair salon who chats with her clients' preschoolers as she braids their mom's hair. It's the toddler teacher who is trained to respond to children's behavior in developmentally appropriate ways, and able to seek additional resources for children who need them. It's the health care system that provides screening for developmental delays or family/environmental risk factors for each child in its care. It's the different parts of the city working together to welcome infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, from public libraries and story time to shops and offices ensuring their spaces are easily navigable with strollers. It's all of that. It's all of us.
For more details on Thrive in Five, including an executive summary detailing HOW Boston will become more ready for young children and WHAT indiciators will be tracked to measure its progress, check out http://www.thrivein5boston.org/.