This week's candidate forums

We at Ready 4 K were happy to be part of two Gubernatorial Candidate forums this week. Early childhood education was discussed at both forums and candidates expressed their support for investing in our youngest Minnesotans.




On Tuesday at a forum sponsored by Growth and Justice, Matt Entenza, Tom Horner, Mark Dayton and Rob Hahn gathered at Open Book in Minneapolis to discuss issues related to education. You can catch the audio of the forum here or watch the video thanks to The Uptake.

Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, Minnesota Rural Education Association, Parents United for Public Schools, and Ready 4 K co-sponsored this event.

A Political Forum Focused on Issues Affecting Women

On Wednesday the YWCA of Minneapolis and Minnesota Women Lawyers hosted a forum at the downtown YWCA building. Mark Dayton, Tom Horner, Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Matt Entenza were present to speak to issues affecting women. Video from this forum is also available on The Uptake.

This event was co-sponsored by Child Care WORKS, Ready 4 K, Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women, Minnesota African Women's Association (MAWA), Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers (MABL), Pay Equity Coalition of Minnesota, and Civil Society.

We look forward to a busy summer of meeting and connecting with candidates. As you meet candidates in your area, you can use the Minnesota's Future agenda to guide your discussion on early care and education.

Ready 4 K is working with our allies to promote a set of shared policy recommendations for Minnesota's next Governor that will improve children's development and readiness for school and for life. Learn more at www.ready4k.org/minnesotasfuture

Poverty now, lasting impact later

A recent article on MinnPost describes the challenges children face during a recession. (Recession taking a toll that may last a lifetime for many children throughout the nation and Minnesota)

Economic recession and the poverty it can cause for children and families can have lasting impact on their lives and on our society as a whole. Children who live in poverty are susceptible to “toxic stress” that impacts the very structure of their brain. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University describes toxic stress as:

... when a child experiences strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity—such as physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, and/or the accumulated burdens of family economic hardship—without adequate adult support. This kind of prolonged activation of the stress response systems can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other organ systems, and increase the risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment, well into the adult years.

MinnPost highlights the Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota’s annual Kids Count report (PDF) that shows the percentage of children living in poverty grew by nearly one third between 2000 and 2008. The challenges of living in poverty affect children the most as their developing brains absorb everything going on around them. These affects can significantly hinder a child’s ability to be fully prepared for school when they enter kindergarten.

The key to mitigating toxic stress is to have a strong support system of adults surrounding the child. We can encourage these support systems by advocating for home visiting, parent education and other programs that can ease these stressful situations. You can learn more about toxic stress at Toxic Stress Response: the facts.

Ready 4 K promotes policies that support the ability of parents, providers and community members to positively interact with children to help lay a stable foundation for later school achievement, economic productivity and responsible citizenship. Learn more about our policies at www.ready4k.org/minnesotasfuture.