Excel By 5 held first meeting of 2022 to discuss child development
- Feb 10, 2022
- 2 min read
Original article: https://www.wdam.com/2022/02/10/excel-by-5-held-first-meeting-2022-discuss-child-development/
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The Hattiesburg Excel By 5 organization held its first meeting of the year to discuss the importance of child development.
The program is designed to improve a child’s well-being, with the goal to ensure children are ready to learn by the time they start school.
“I want to bring everyone who works on the behalf of young children in any way, any provision whatsoever, to be able to communicate with each other on what we’re doing,” said Excel By 5′s steering community chair, Dr. Kathy Young. “So we’re beginning to assess and then what we want to see, what’s needed and then beginning to work with organizations to meet the needs of children and families of little ones.”
Young says 90% of a child’s development occurs in the first five years of their life.
“We want children and families to understand kindergarten readiness doesn’t start the summer before kindergarten. It begins from the time children are born and actually, that’s not just kindergarten readiness, that’s readiness. And so we want to make sure children are growing and thriving,” said Young.
Excel By 5 also ensures children are receiving the resources they need to learn, read and interact with adults who guide and lead them.
“We’ve got to be more conscious of the things we’re doing and the way we’re talking with children, the way we’re reading with children and making sure they are having proper medical care and proper nutrition and all these things that we need to do to make sure that foundation is laid good straight and strong,” said Young.
The program is a partnership with organizations such as United Way of Southeast Mississippi and William Carey University.
For anyone who wants to be a part of Excel By 5, you can visit their website.
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