4 goals to the Watch Me Thrive program for all parents
by Katy
President Obama’s most recent budget proposal includes a big priority on early education. His Preschool for All initiative was announced in 2013, and Congress was able to find some limited resources then to get it started. The president’s proposed budget builds on these modest resources as part of a larger effort to ensure young children enter kindergarten ready to succeed, and you can read a copy of our formal response to the President’s budget here.
But wait. There’s more! Just last week, the Administration announced another initiative: Watch Me Thrive. This effort has four goals:
- celebrate child development milestones
- promote universal screening
- identify developmental delays in young children as soon as possible
- enhance supports available to families that will help them facilitate their child’s development
Watch Me Thrive goes hand in hand with the Easter Seals Make the First Five Count program, which features the same screening tool that the Watch Me Thrive campaign highlights as the best: the Ages & Stages Questionnaire, available in both English and Spanish.
Its been a great couple of days for young kids. Stay tuned for more updates on our progress.