My name is Melissa Riegel-Garrett and I am from Waterbury. I was born and raised here and after a brief out of state experience, returned to raise my children in VT. I wanted to speak to you tonight from my PARENT perspective. I have an almost 12 year old and an almost 4 year old that we are raising in the Waterbury community.
However, things are more complicated than that because I wear many hats in the field of child development. I have my bachelors in early childhood education from UVM and a Master’s in leadership from Bank Street College in NYC. I have worked in the field teaching and leading for over 15 years. So, as I planned what to say to you I realized I cannot just speak from my PARENT perspective, because who I am as a professional influences who I am as a parent.
My goal as a parent is to raise children who are self-sustaining productive members of society (and who hopefully bless me with grandchildren!).
What I know about child development tells me that the early years are the time the architecture of the brain is forming. It is a time when foundations are constructed. With my background, I am confident in providing many of the opportunities needed to create a strong foundation for my children’s brain architecture.
If I have done my job well, at around 3 years old my child’s developmental focus shifts from me as the center of his world, to his peers. As much as I love to dig in the sand, draw pictures and/or play house this is one area I am very limited on supporting a strong foundation. This is because I am hesitant to invite a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds over for a few hours of dramatic play.
Let’s go back to my goal for my children: to be self-sustaining, productive members of society. Of society. By definition, we are talking about being successful in environments with other people. What lays the foundation for this?
v Effective Communication skills,
v self-control,
v respect for others,
v problem solving and
v negotiation abilities.
I know somewhere along the line my foundation for these skills was cracked because I had a huge fear of conflict. It took years of therapy and communication training, not to mention the cost, to repair and strengthen that weak area of my foundation.
Kids learn through play. They learn by doing. One of the most powerful vehicles for learning is socio-dramatic play, where children interact with each other to create a scenario that can last for hours. For my son these scenarios are often “going to space”, “being a firefighter”, or playing in a band. When he plays with other children, his foundation becomes stronger as he negotiates how many kids are in the band, what song to sing, who plays what instrument. He practices being a leader and a follower.
These are powerful parts of my son’s brain architecture that I alone, or even in a play-group cannot facilitate. Thomas attends The Children’s Space (in Duxbury) for 10 hours per week through collaboration with the U-45 school district. Without this collaboration, we could not afford to send our child to private preschool (remember I said I had been in the field of child development for almost 15 years?) Thomas started this September, and his licensed teachers are already supporting a strong foundation for his developing brain architecture.
Within the first week Thomas had found a best friend, and I was approached by the teacher as I picked him up on his third day. Thomas and his new best friend had been playing a game, and another child wanted to join them. Thomas and his friend began a chant, “Johnny can’t play, Johnny can’t play, Johnny can’t play”. Thomas’ foundation only had the capacity to support a one-friend relationship at a time. Through the skill of his teacher, Thomas’ foundation has grown. When I picked him up last Thursday he was making cement with his best friend. This involved sand and water mixing and the loading of dump trucks and hauling off of the cement. Another child came over and wanted to play. Thomas’ said, “You need a dump truck to play” (Of course all of the dump trucks were already in use). The little girl said, “But there are no more dump trucks” and she looked really sad. Thomas looked up at her and said, “Well, you can use that wheelbarrow now, and when I go home, you can have my dump truck”.
In a few short weeks, Thomas’ foundation has been strengthened. Without this preschool collaboration, Thomas would not have the opportunity to be part of a large, consistent group of children; supported by knowledgeable teachers. His developing brain architecture would be weak in the area of social development. Have you ever been involved with a house with a weak area of its foundation? This is not a good thing, for the long-term soundness of the house, as well as for the pocketbook of the owner.
A sound investment in our society’s future requires that all children have the opportunity to develop intellectually, socially and emotionally. The early years of life matter because early experiences affect the architecture of the maturing brain. As it emerges, the quality of that architecture establishes either a sturdy or a fragile foundation for all of the development and behavior that follows --- and getting things right the first time is easier than trying to fix them later. VT’s revenues are already being used for quality preschool for all children. Don’t roll back these services, they are one piece to ensuring all children the opportunity of a healthy and strong foundation for their brain architecture.