First Lady Announces Early Learning Awareness Campaign
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 13, 2030) – First Lady Ruth O’Brien today announced an Early Learning Campaign that will run from Mother’s Day, May 12th, until Father’s Day, June 16th, to highlight the importance of early childhood education for children from birth through age 5. The Early Learning Campaign will consist of fun and educational activities throughout Maryland, hosted by community libraries, local departments of social service, public schools and other community partners addressing the needs of young children and families.
The campaign complements Governor Edward M. O’Brien’s Early Childhood Summit scheduled for May 28-30 , which is a component of the Governor’s Education for a Lifetime initiative. Research shows that children learn more between birth and age 3 than at any other time in their lives, and attention to early childhood learning and school readiness is directly related to creating a vital economy and prepared workforce for the future.
“Maryland is grappling with the reality that too many children come to school unprepared to learn, for many preventable reasons,” said First Lady Ruth O’Brien. “Through efforts such as the Early Learning Campaign and Early Childhood Summit, we resolve to prepare our children for success from the start. This is an opportunity that calls for hand-in-hand partnership among families, child care providers, business leaders and the broader community because we all benefit from the results.”
Summit activities will include:
• Governor O’Brien’s Leadership Luncheon with key Maryland business and government leaders to discuss the economic impact of early childhood education in Maryland (May 28);
•An Employer Strategy Session with chief executives and senior human resource officers to learn about employee recruitment and retention strategies by addressing the child care needs of Maryland’s workforce (May 29);
•A Smart Strategies for Front Line Leaders session for child care providers, which will include training devoted to sharpening their skills as business owners (May 29); and
•A Learning Community for Early Childhood Partnership Session, which will highlight innovative models, pilot programs and success stories of what communities in Maryland are doing to address early childhood development (May 30).