Did You Know?

Children need to gain 80% of their learning capacity by the time they are twelve months old.

• Children will develop two-thirds of their vocabulary that they will use the rest of their lives by the time they are five years of age.
• In 2007, the cost of abuse and neglect nationwide was $104 billion.
• ..."on average...it costs $33,000 to hospitalize an abused child compared with $3,000 to provide an at-risk family with a home visit in order to teach them parenting skills for one year."

APA Monitor Online volume 30, Number 4 April 1999

"A child's sense of security and well-being is primarily rooted in the stability of his home and family."
Dr. James Dobson
The Strong Willed Child P. 117

"What we are as adults is the product of the world we experienced as children. The way a society functions is a reflection of the childrearing practices of that society. Today, we reap what we have sown. Despite the well- documented critical nature of early life experiences, we dedicate few resources to this time of life...We need to understand the indelible relationship between early life experiences and cognitive, social, emotional, and physical health."
Perry, B.D. and Marcellus, J.E. (1997) The Impact of Abuse and Neglect on the Developing Brain.
Colleagues for Children.
7:1-4 Missouri Chapter

"The very fabric of our future is being destroyed by poor parenting. As an ER physician in downtown San Antonio, I daily see the effects of poor parenting. .. I care for children who are intentionally abused or suffer physical injury as a result of neglectful supervision....I also see countless children who lack hope or self esteem as a result of verbal abuse. Parenting classes are desperately needed in our city and faith based volunteer programs like One by One provides not only a great curriculum for development in those critical first few years of life, but it provides God as an anchor to mothers and families who are adrift."
Cindy Beamer, MD

"Maltreatment during infancy and early childhood has been shown to negatively affect early brain development and can have enduring repercussions into adolescence and adulthood....the experiences of infancy and early childhood literally provide the organizing framework for the expression of children's intelligence, emotions, and personalities. When these experiences are primarily negative, children may develop emotional, behavioral, and learning problems that persist throughout their lifetime, especially in the absence of targeted interventions." Kids Are Waiting, Press Release, January 29, 2008