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Governor Kaine Promotes Smart Beginnings for Virginia's Children
– Announces several early education, parenting resources for families –

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today launched the Smart Beginnings initiative, directing new and improved resources to families with children from birth to age five. 

As part of the initiative, Governor Kaine unveiled the statewide Smart Beginnings Blitz, a series of more than 50 activities scheduled across Virginia between Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day, highlighting the important role and responsibility of parents as their child’s first teacher. Many of these free community events will be hosted by local public libraries.  In addition, a public education initiative will deliver messages regarding the correlation between high quality, early childhood education and a competitive workforce and ultimately a vital economy for the Commonwealth.

“The years from birth to age five are critical for developing the cognitive and social skills in children required for school achievement and eventual life success,” Governor Kaine said. “I will lead Virginia towards a stronger, sustained commitment to a seamless continuum of child care and early childhood education that will not only benefit every child, but also our communities, our workforce and Virginia’s economy.”

Governor Kaine also announced that he will name the members of his Start Strong Pre-K Council in the coming week. While Smart Beginnings comprises an array of health, education, and parental involvement initiatives, the Start Strong Pre-K Council will focus on developing an affordable, effective, and efficient blueprint for expanding access to high-quality, pre-kindergarten education to every child in Virginia.

The Governor also announced plans to host an Early Childhood Summit in June and July – a series of conferences designed to inform business and community leaders, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the benefits of investing in early childhood education.

“We applaud Governor Kaine’s commitment to a strong agenda supporting healthy early childhood development because there is no more important priority,” said Dr. Leslie Ellwood, President of the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Academy presented Governor Kaine with a special commendation for his longstanding commitment to responsible parenting and to improving access to early childhood education.

In addition, an updated version of the New Parent Tool Kit was distributed to new parents in attendance. This is a resource offered to the parents of every new baby born in Virginia, available in both English and Spanish versions. Along with information about healthy development, parenting tips, available services and resources, the kit also offers a free subscription to parents for an electronic newsletter sharing relevant information as a child goes through various stages of development. The e-newsletter will be distributed to parents as each child reaches three months, six months, nine months, and one year of age.

“The Freddie Mac Foundation, in keeping with its long tradition of helping first-time parents be successful, is proud to join Governor Kaine in supporting families with these valuable resources,” said Maxine B. Baker, president and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation, which is a major sponsor of the New Parent Tool Kit.

After the formal remarks concluded, Governor Kaine read passages from the book Goodnight Moon to a group of children. A copy of the book is included in the Kit to encourage parents to read with their children.

For more information on Smart Beginnings, or for samples from the public education campaign, link to www.SmartBeginnings.org, which is hosted by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation.

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