Dean announces Success by Six initiative

[artr2]

Democratic presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean, M.D. announced today that as President he would create a national "Success by Six" initiative designed to ensure that children start school ready to succeed by providing all families with young children early access to health care, education, and other support critical to children's health and working families.

-snip-

"One of the greatest things a community can provide to new parents is simply the knowledge that they are supported and that help is available whenever it is needed," Governor Dean said. "We know that investment in young children yields a high return, and we must provide resources to parents from the day of their child's arrival because education begins at birth."

As president, Dean said he would invest $200 million a year in this new initiative to expand Welcome Baby Visits to interested new parents in communities across the country, while strengthening and growing existing programs.

-snip-

The Vermont Success by Six program, of which "Welcome Baby" is but one part, is part of a comprehensive investment in young children that resulted in 89% of pregnant women entering prenatal care during their first trimester of pregnancy, 96% of Vermont's children having health care coverage, 81.1% of children being fully immunized by age 2 and 97% by the time they start kindergarten, and a 45% reduction in child and sexual abuse.

DR. Dean gets it. You have to help new parents with their children. Most people are not taught how to be parents, much less good parents. It is far cheaper to do it this way. I would rather invest money in children than build new prisons.