Quality of life can be improved when communities offer support to families, teachers, and caregivers, to ensure the healthy physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development and school readiness of young children.
The first years of life are crucial for a child's development and set the stage for future challenges or successes. In order to maintain a high quality of life in North Dakota, we need to invest in our children. Children raised in loving and stable environments that provide positive stimulation, and who receive early screening and intervention for health or developmental problems, enter school ready to do their best. The return on investment in these early years will pay back over a child’s entire lifetime.
Low birth weight babies may have higher risks for certain health problems or suffer from social development or learning disabilities. Prevention strategies in addition to improving the health behaviors of pregnant women and screening during pregnancy include improving women's general health over the life cycle and effective interventions and changes in the social determinants of health (e.g., poverty, education, job opportunities).
Receiving quality prenatal care continued with acquiring early learning experiences in the years preceding kindergarten, are establishing the conditions that promote successful educational achievement for children.
An investment in our young children is an investment in the future economy and workforce of our state.