Early Childhood Education Yields High Return: A 30 Year Study

BATON ROUGE, La., April 15, 2012 – Internationally-recognized UNC scholar Frances Campbell, Ph.D., will speak to the Baton Rouge community at a free Distinguished Speaker Series session hosted by Academic Distinction Fund (ADF) on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, Check-in 2 - 2:30 p.m., Program 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. at the Manship Theatre. ADF is a major collaborator among schools, businesses, and the community and acts as a catalyst for private sector leadership in advancing public education in East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS).

Dr. Frances Campbell is best known for her work with the Abecedarian Project, one of the longest running longitudinal studies in the world. The study followed 111 babies, from low-income homes, into adulthood. The research and pattern of results over 30 years provides clear, scientific understanding of how high-quality early childhood education can be an important contributor to academic achievement and social competency in adulthood. Findings from this study are frequently cited by experts and policymakers when discussing the importance of quality early childcare.

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series is designed to provide critical information on the latest early childhood development research and best practices. The Series is the first of its kind in East Baton Rouge Parish to address issues facing infants and children, ages zero-to-five.

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series is directed to East Baton Rouge Parish teachers, pre-K providers and administrators, parents and families, business leaders, education stakeholders, nonprofit organizations and public officials who ultimately impact all prekindergarten children in East Baton Rouge Parish and beyond.

The research-based presentations engage early childhood experts to address what it takes for children to be successful in kindergarten and first grade, regardless of their socio-economic and racial backgrounds.

Martis Jones, Ph.D., ADF Executive Director, stated that  by targeting prekindergarten children early in life, high-quality educational experiences can build their development in the areas of cognitive, health and physical, language arts, reading and literacy, social and emotional, as well as creative arts. This will ensure that more students will be prepared for academic success. Dr. Campbell agrees and states that there is little question about quality early care improving the odds for low-income children. She says that what you do to enhance a child’s development when he or she is very, very young has long-term implications.

Funding for ADF Distinguished Speaker Series comes from ADF and ExxonMobil. Additional sponsors include the Manship Theatre and the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. Planning partners include Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, School Aids, Family Behavioral Health Center, Family Service of GBR, Louisiana Department of Education, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, and Dean Laura Lindsay of the LSU College of Education, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and the EBRPSS Title I Parental Involvement Office.

Renowned Child Psychiatrist/Tulane Professor to speak on Long Term Influences of Early Childhood Experiences & Relationships

Academic Distinction Fund Hosts Distinguished Speaker Series Presentation in April

BATON ROUGE, La., March 15, 2012 – Nationally-recognized spokesperson for early childhood mental health, Dr. Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., will speak to the Baton Rouge community at a free Distinguished Speaker Series session hosted by Academic Distinction Fund (ADF) on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Registration 4 - 4:30 p.m., Program 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel, 7000 Bluebonnet Blvd. ADF is a major collaborator among schools, businesses, and the community and acts as a catalyst for private sector leadership in advancing public education in East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS).

Dr. Zeanah is Sellars-Polchow Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and Vice-Chair for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.  He is also Executive Director of the Institute for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at Tulane.  Throughout his career, his clinical and research focus has been on early childhood experiences, relationships and their effects, including abuse and serious deprivation on young children, attachment issues and infant parent relationship assessment and interventions designed to reduce psychopathology in young children.

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series is designed to provide critical information on the latest early childhood development research and best practices. The Series is the first of its kind in East Baton Rouge Parish to address issues facing infants and children, ages zero-to-five.

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series is directed to East Baton Rouge Parish teachers, pre-K providers and administrators, parents and families, business leaders, education stakeholders, nonprofit organizations and public officials who ultimately impact all prekindergarten children in East Baton Rouge Parish and beyond.

The research-based presentations engage early childhood experts to address what it takes for children to be successful in kindergarten and first grade, regardless of their socio-economic and racial backgrounds.

Martis Jones, Ph.D., ADF Executive Director, stated that 88 percent of the 2114 EBR pre-K students qualify for free or reduced lunch and are considered “at-risk.”  By targeting prekindergarten children early in life, high-quality educational experiences can build their development in the areas of cognitive, health and physical, language arts, reading and literacy, social and emotional, as well as creative arts. This will ensure that more students will be prepared for academic success.

Funding for ADF Distinguished Speaker Series comes from ADF and ExxonMobil. Additional sponsors include the Renaissance Hotel Baton Rouge. Planning partners include Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, School Aids, Family Behavioral Health Center, Louisiana Department of Education, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, and Dean Laura Lindsay of the LSU College of Education, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, LASIG, and the EBRPSS Title I Parental Involvement Office.

Karen Mapp, Ed.D.

Lecturer on Education and Faculty Director of Education, Policy, and Management Master’s Program 

Harvard Graduate School of Education



Dr. Mapp holds Doctorate and Master’s degrees in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a noted researcher, lecturer, and author whose work highlights the positive link between family engagement and the academic achievement of students. In addition to her contributions in the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she works closely with the Boston Public Schools and recently served as the Interim Deputy Superintendent for Family and Community Engagement for the school system and as president of the Institute for Responsive Education in Boston.  Dr. Mapp’s research on the relationship between family-school partnerships and desirable student outcomes is widely published, and 

she has co-authored several books on this topic, with the most recent, Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships.  She serves on boards and committees of numerous organizations,including the Center for Collaborative Education, the Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, and the Boston Campaign for Proficiency. 

The Why, What, and How of Family-School Partnerships

Dr. Mapp will provide information and strategies to create and sustain systemic 

school, family and community partnerships that support student learning and 

achievement. Participants will learn the current research about the link between 

these partnerships and student outcomes based on Dr. Mapp’s research. She 

will focus her presentation on three areas: the link between family and 

community engagement and student achievement and school improvement; 

the characteristics of school, family and community engagement initiatives 

that translate to improved student outcomes; and the answers to cultivating 

trusting and respectful partnerships that support student learning and school 

improvement with diverse families and community members.

ADF

Distinguished Speaker Series

Parental Involvement at School and at Home

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Registration and Continental Breakfast: 9:00 am - 9:30 am

Program: 9:30 am - 11:00 am

EBRP School System

Instructional Resource Center (IRC)

1022 South Foster Drive

Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Free Community Event

RSVP to deniqua.lacour@adfbr.org or (225) 922-4560

 

Dr. Melinda S. Sothern speaks in Baton Rouge

Dr. Melinda S. Sothern, a national spokesperson for healthy youth, spoke in Baton Rouge yesterday. Her presentation was on treating and preventing childhood obesity.  We will be posting video clips of her presentation soon. 

You can down load her PowerPoint slide by clicking here.

Childhood Health, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention - September 7, 2011

Dr. Melinda S. Sothern, a national spokesperson for healthy youth, will be speaking in Baton Rouge. Dr. Sothern regularly receives local and national awards for her work in the areas of childhood nutrition and obesity prevention. Her work continues to be highlighted on Good Morning America, Today Show, and in The Wall Street Journal, among many others. Her research is widely published in a multitude of scientific journals and books, including her own interactive guide, Trim Kids, which she senior-authored. Dr. Sothern consults with several national and international corporations. She leads her field in establishing exercise guidelines for children and is best known for her work in promoting active play as a means of treating and preventing childhood obesity. 

Wednesday, September 7 · 4:00pm - 6:00pm

East Baton Rouge School System Instructional Resource Center

1022 South Foster Drive

Click here to download the document.