Young children are reflections of their surroundings. What we expose them to and their overall experiences help shape the person they are and will become. All parents hope that they are able to provide their child with a healthy and positive childhood, but what about the families with young children who are facing poverty? We have known for quite a while that poverty has negative implications on young children and their success in school and life. But new research sheds more light on how poverty affects young children.

Last week marked the beginning of the District’s FY 2010 agency performance oversight hearings and the Wilson building has been aflutter ever since. If you haven’t attended any yet, you’ve already missed about a dozen, but not to worry, hearings are scheduled through mid-March and there’s still time to sign up to testify as well. Please see the schedule for the oversight hearings here. 

We all talk about quality when it comes to serving our children -- quality education, quality health care, the list goes on -- but when it comes to language development, could it really be more about the quantity rather than the quality of the words you speak?

Maybe. A seminal study conducted in Kansas published in 1995 and featured recently on NPR sparked insight that the number of words spoken to a child directly contributes to his or her ability to expand their vocabulary.

Editor's Note: Welcome to the newest member of the DC Action team, Sumeira Kashim!