Narrated by actor/director Rob Reiner, the chairman and cofounder of the nonprofit I Am Your Child Foundation, Why Early Childhood Matters is one of a 10-part video series designed to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood development. Aimed at motivating both parents and policymakers to help their communities create and support programs that successfully integrate children into the public school systems (overdue for an overhaul), the program stresses the importance and benefits of investing in optimum environments in which our children can grow and learn. Toward that end, the video offers brief sound bites from various government and business leaders (including U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi), crime prevention officials, and child development experts. Underscoring the remarks are a few interesting statistics, such as the fact that 90% of the human brain's organization takes place in the fourth and fifth years of life, and the estimate that every dollar invested in early childhood education brings a sevenfold return. Although very reasonably priced at $14.95, the discounts for purchasing multiple copies are impressive, starting at $7.50 each for 2-4 copies. Other titles in the series include: Preparing for Parenthood (hosted by Whoopi Goldberg), To Be a Father (hosted by Ray Romano), and Your Healthy Baby (hosted by Phylicia Rashad). Eight of the 10 titles are also available in Spanish, hosted by Antonio Banderas, Edward James Olmos, Andy Garcia, and others. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)
Why Early Childhood Matters
(2003) 10 min. VHS: $14.95. I Am Your Child. PPR. Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 6
Why Early Childhood Matters
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