AAL’s new initiative, Committed to Kids, focuses on the quality of Early Childhood Care

Did you know?
Early childhood development researchers find that about 90 percent of a child’s learning capacity develops by age 5.

Did you know?
Each person is born with over 100 billion brain cells, or neurons, and no more brain cells grow after birth. If appropriately stimulated, these cells form a circuitry that’s complex and dynamic enough to create enormous learning potential far into adulthood.

Did you know?
13 million U.S. preschoolers, including 6 million infants and toddlers are in child care.

Did you know?
The average turnover rate for teachers in child care centers and preschools is 23 percent. A child-care worker’s hourly wage is about $7 on average.

It is sobering to consider the challenges facing adults who nurture children’s cognitive and social development from birth to age 5. While kids in strong child care programs tend to develop better language and memory skills, and are better prepared for school, such strong programs are in the minority. Most child care centers or preschools must cope with shoestring budgets, shortage of well-trained personnel, and comparatively high teacher turnover rates. Such conditions make it difficult to sustain the quality of care young children need to reach their full learning potential.

Aid Association for Lutherans intends to make a lasting positive impact in the field of early childhood development. Since its founding nearly a century ago, AAL has been helping Lutherans improve the quality of their lives through financial security, volunteer action and help for others. As part of that mission, AAL also has invested in children and their future by means of benevolent programs, educational products, or resources for teaching parents how to save and pay for their child’s education. AAL’s new initiative, Committed to Kids, for the first time directs the organization’s fraternal resources toward one goal—enhancing the quality of care during the first five years of a child’s life.

Committed to Kids is dedicated to providing parents and Lutheran Early Childhood Centers with the knowledge and tools to ensure that children from birth to age five are ready for school and ready for life. The initiative will work to strengthen nurturing relationships between children and their primary caregivers, as well as to enhance the quality of Lutheran Early Childhood Centers across the country.

Committed to Kids seeks to produce positive, measurable results. Initial testing among Lutheran and community child care centers revealed that no single “one size fits all” program could possibly meet their diverse needs. That’s why Committed to Kids is designed as a broad campaign rather than a narrowly defined program. To ensure that the initiative makes a genuine difference, its strategies are based on comprehensive research. Earlier this year, AAL analyzed the most extensive research currently available on the state of early childhood development and education. It also completed a three-part assessment of Lutheran Early Childhood Center needs.

Even more significantly, with help from more than 3,000 Lutheran Early Childhood Centers across the country, AAL has recently completed the largest-scale descriptive study of early childhood centers ever conducted. “This is a landmark accomplishment,” said Steve Olson, director of AAL’s Resources for Helping, who leads Committed to Kids. “Earlier research projects in this field were, at best, based on data gathered in a handful of states. Because the network of Lutheran Early Childhood Centers is nationwide, our findings are far more comprehensive than any research to date.”

The research will help AAL identify the most pressing needs of the childhood centers and direct the Committed to Kids efforts accordingly.

With 10,500 branches nationwide, AAL has a network of enthusiastic and experienced volunteers. Last year, the organization delivered more than $330 million in help to people across the nation with help from its branches. Not surprisingly, branch engagement is a crucial component of Committed to Kids.

The effort to mobilize the branches was launched in August at the annual training session for volunteer leaders. Those leaders will educate the branches about the significance of early childhood development. The first task for a branch is building a relationship with an early childhood center in its church or community so as to understand the center’s needs and develop a plan for providing help not just once or twice but on a consistent basis.

"We hope that by the end of 2002, between 2,000 and 2,500 of our branches will hold their own Committed to Kids kick-off events, affirming their dedication to helping young children during the formative years of their development," said Mary Downs, who directs AAL’s branch and volunteer performance support.

The initiative depends for its success on collaboration between AAL volunteers and early childhood center or preschool directors. Directors are encouraged to contact their local AAL branches and begin the dialogue about what Committed to Kids might do to help. If you have questions, please call 1-800-236-3736.

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