Our Responsibility to our Children's Opportunities By Lt. Governor Joe Maxwell As April begins and the warmth of spring weather surrounds us, we begin to observe the rapid growth of the season. The small baby animals and fresh-bloomed flowers of spring quickly grow toward maturity and begin taking their more adult forms. As a parent of two young girls, I understand the feelings of other parents when their children are growing nearly as rapidly as these symbols of spring. While it does take our children longer than one spring to grow into adults, their development during these earliest years will have an impact on the rest of their lives. The development that occurs during these ages is critical for their further maturity and readiness to begin kindergarten. We have the responsibility to provide our youngest citizens with opportunities to grow and succeed. This responsibility to foster the development of our youngest children is the theme of the Week of the Young Child, April 6-12, 2003. This week, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, reminds us of our obligation to ensure the brightest of futures for our children and our society as indicated by its theme, "Children's Opportunities-Our Responsibilities." As an advisor to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for early childhood education and parents as teachers programs I understand our responsibility to provide our youngest citizens with these opportunities. We as parents, a state, and a society must strive to provide our children with an environment that will promote and foster their early learning and development. This environment may be provided to our children in the home, the community, in childcare, or in schools, as each has the responsibility to create an atmosphere that supports their needs and learning. Parents act as the first teachers of their children, and we have the responsibility to help provide our citizens with options for early childhood education. Parents should be able to choose the type of environment they feel is best for their children whether in the home, in a preschool, or another form of childcare. It is our duty to provide assistance to children in each of these environments. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has created pre-kindergarten standards that are accompanied by a teacher's guide and parent handbook, reaching children in different environments and settings. These resources provide suggestions and assistance in fostering this atmosphere that helps develop kindergarten readiness. Currently, the department has published standards for literacy and social development, which will soon be joined by standards for math and other areas. These standards serve as guides for helping to determine skills and behaviors that demonstrate greater school readiness. They can be accessed at http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/earlychild/PreK_Standards.html. During the past few decades our state has made great strides in building school readiness and fostering social development by founding the Parents as Teachers program that has grown throughout the United States. This program currently provides all children from birth to age three access to early childhood education assistance regardless of their parents' income or place of residence. Our state has continued its dedication to our youngest citizens by developing numerous additional programs to help our children gain access to preschools and obtain greater school readiness. While we have achieved these successes, we must continue to strive forward for the sake of both our children and the future of our state, upholding our responsibility to create opportunities that will foster their learning and development and ensure their readiness to begin kindergarten. For a list of early childhood education resources in the state of Missouri, access the early childhood education page on my Web site at: .