The 17th Early Childhood Summit was held on Tuesday night at the UMC Bede Ballroom. Which was the first one they were able to hold after the pandemic.
Fifty people who work with young children and families in our community attended the event. The Crookston Early Childhood Initiative treated the attendees to a delicious meal catered by UMC’s Sodexo and received tool kit items to use in their work. The tool kits’ items are possible thanks to an Otto Bremer Foundation grant.
Their presenter for the evening was Crookston native and current resident Kari Visconti. Kari is an associate teaching professor at Arizona State University, teaching online classes in child development. She taught a class last fall on community networking, and the students did some research on our community. They came in with many assumptions on small-town living, and by the time they were done, they were so impressed with all of the people working together to benefit young children and families. They brainstormed, organized, and developed a brochure focusing on the Five Priorities children need to THRIVE BY FIVE. Early childhood development, before the age of five, is a critical time in a child’s life. A strong foundation of language development, positive relationships, nutrition, physical activity, and rest helps place children on a trajectory for healthy growth and development. Kari presented these five priorities with the help of community experts.
The ECI is excited to share this brochure and these important priorities for improving the lives of children and families. Pictures of the Summit and the brochure can be seen below-
