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Governor Kaine Hosts First Smart Beginnings Summit

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today hosted the first of four summer events to highlight early childhood education. The luncheon for business, government, and education leaders was held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond.

“There is a compelling educational and business case for high quality early education,” Governor Kaine said. “By making smart investments today, we can lay a foundation – a foundation that will enhance the health of our communities, the vitality of our work force, and the strength of our economy.”  

Joining Governor Kaine were Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Chair of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and co-editor of the landmark From Neurons to Neighborhoods, and David Lawrence, retired publisher of the Miami Herald. 

“The early years of life matter.  Nurturing and responsive relationships are the ‘active ingredients’ of early experience, which…affect the architecture of the developing brain,” Dr. Shonkoff said. “Healthy brain architecture provides a strong foundation for later learning, behavior and health.”

David Lawrence served as the publisher of The Miami Herald for a decade, winning five Pulitzer Prizes. Since his retirement, Lawrence has dedicated his time to early childhood education.

“What I came to know is that the wisest path to public education ‘reform’ would be time and money on the front end of the lives of children from before birth to age five,” Lawrence said. “What I came to believe is that the future of each of our states literally depends on children getting off to a strong start in life.”

The event was co-hosted by The Norfolk Foundation and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. Dominion CFO Tom Chewning served as master of ceremonies.

“Smart Beginnings focuses on a range of strategies that promote healthy, strong starts for our youngest citizens,” Chewning said. “Parents and families are key partners in this effort – as primary stewards of a child’s physical health, social and emotional development, and educational growth.”

A partnership between Governor Kaine, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and local communities across the Commonwealth, Smart Beginnings is an initiative that promotes collaboration to maximize the investments that families and communities make in their youngest children. 

For more information on the Smart Beginnings Summit and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, visit www.SmartBeginnings.org.

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