WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD 2023 Whereas: The first years of a child's life are the period of the most rapid brain development and lay the foundation for all future learning. Children's cognitive, physical, social and emotional, and language and literacy development are built on a foundation of children's positive interactions with adults, peers, and their environment. Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Education High-quality early childhood programs provide important benefits to children, families and our state and national economies. High quality early care and education can help ameliorate the effects of poverty, detect and remediate delays, identify and help prevent child neglect, and lead to positive outcomes for individual children, helping them be better prepared for school and more likely to succeed in life. Paying the costs of high-quality early childhood education is a revenue-generating investment over time, resulting in a broad range of benefits that accrue to individuals and society at large. Participation in high-quality early childhood education saves taxpayer dollars, makes working families more economically secure, and prepares children to succeed in school, earn higher wages, and live healthier lives. WHEREAS: Role of Early Childhood Educators High-quality early childhood education depends on high-quality early childhood educators who ensure that children, supported by families, have the early experiences they need for a strong foundation. Many early childhood educators will leave their positions each year, because they cannot afford to earn such low wages, often while supporting their own families Many child care providers have, at great personal and professional cost, managed to keep their doors open during the pandemic in order to support children and families in their communities. Whereas & Therefore: YOUNG CHILDREN NEED Skilled, educated, competent, consistent, and compensated early childhood educators. Developmentally appropriate, accessible, and available early care and education settings. Early childhood educators who are incentivized and supported to provide high-quality care to those with high and special needs. WORKING FAMILIES NEED Skilled, educated, competent, consistent, and compensated early childhood educators. Developmentally appropriate, accessible, and available early care and education settings. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS NEED Opportunities to acquire critical skills, knowledge, and competencies through pathways to credentials and higher education degrees, without incurring college debt. Ability to earn a family-sustaining wage that is commensurate with the required education and skills they bring to the complex and valuable work they do. Therefore, be it resolved that Fulton County, Pennsylvania does hereby proclaim April 2-8, 2023 as the Week of the Young Child, and: Does hereby recognize the complex, valuable, essential, and demanding work of early childhood educators. Does hereby recognize that when our society invests in educators, we also invest in children and families. Declare that early childhood educators should be valued, respected, and compensated for the important roles they play. GIVEN under my hand and the Seal of the Fulton County Commissioners, on this fourth day of April in the Year of our Lord, two thousand and twenty-three. COUNTY OF FULTON BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Dhost 7u0h Stuart L. Ulsh a Rarldy H. Bunch shulagshis Paula J. Shives