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   I am the manager of the Wayne Division of United Way Community Services, but in my other life I am the mother of five (now adult) children. I am writing this column wearing both hats.
   If you have been reading these articles over the past several months, you have learned a little about brains -- their parts, how they grow and stages of development.
   You also have learned about the ways in which the environment you create for your child can affect his/her brain development.
   Research in this area has produced some information that I have found to be startling and, yes, even scary. Stress can negatively affect brain development.
   The remarkable growth possible during the earliest years can only occur when a child feels secure in his/her environment.
   Whenever a child feels stressed or frightened, a structure in the limbic system secretes a substance called cortisol.
   Cortisol enters the blood stream and

washes over the learning centers of the brain. When it is present, "good" or "higher" learning cannot take place.
   The development of the pathways that ensure school and life success is inhibited and the child learns to function at a lower or more emotional level.
   The survival mechanisms of fight and flight kick in to cope with the stressful situation. It is only when the stressful

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Committee has set out to spread the word, and to reach as many people as possible with the news that newborns and toddlers need mental stimulation, need protection from harm and need to be nurtured in a loving and encouraging environment.
   Some steps have been taken already:  A speakers' bureau has been formed to carry the word to clubs, church groups, Lamaze classes -- anyplace people gather together where we can tell our story. 
   One of the objectives of the speakers' bureau has been to recruit more speakers from diverse segments of the community.  The goal is to reach everybody who is or may be in contact with young children. 
   Anyone reading this column who is in

terested in helping to carry the message as part of the speakers' bureau is encouraged to volunteer.
   Displays and booths have been set up at community events, such as the recent Downriver Summit. Brochures have been prepared and circulated. There's much more to be done.
   One of the key components of the task at hand is to ensure that the important information about young child development that we're sharing with the community does not just sweep like a wave over the community right now and then be allowed to recede.
   We need to make sure that the initiatives and the information of Everybody Ready! become sewn into the fabric of the public consciousness in southern Wayne County and surrounding areas, so

there results a cultural shift in favor of the young child. It's a big job. 
   We need a lot of help. But the job is too important not to be done, and done as well and as quickly as possible. We want no child to be left behind, starting right now.
   If you would like to become involved with Everybody Ready! as a speaker, a presenter, or in any other capacity, call 313-701-1212, or e-mail everybodyready@yahoo.com and let us know what you can do.
   Fred Eaton, area director of corporate affairs for Comcast Cable Communications and an Everybody Ready! board member, has a bachelor of science degree in communications from the University of Illinois.

Volume 1, Issue 4

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ready to learn   •   ready to succeed   •   ready for life