Franklin County joins call to action to give kids the best chance at a good life

Franklin County leaders have signed on to a national call-to-action to ensure local children receive the support and care in their first three years of life that will drive them, and the community at large, to a successful future. 

County commissioners on Thursday approved a resolution they said will open doors to resources to help parents put their infants and toddlers on the best path.

"This will key us into additional resources that are available," said Commissioner Bob Thomas. "This is not just some feel-good piece of paper we're signing here, this will actually open the door to additional opportunities."

Representatives from organizations that play a role in early childhood health and education were on hand for the signing of the resolution, officially called the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers Resolution to Promote Investments in Young Children and Families from Prenatal to Three. Officials from Franklin County Head Start, the Waynesboro Area School District superintendent, Summit Health, and county human services agencies were in attendance. 

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Seventh-five percent of a person's brain is developed in the first year of life, and a number of vital milestones happen by the third year, Thomas said. If a child is not engaged as a baby and toddler and receive support, he can fall behind for life. Setting up the youngest children for achievement, and cutting down the number of people who start life behind, will build up the community as a whole. 

Using an analogy about George H.W. Bush starting life on third base, Commissioner Bob Ziobrowski explained how providing early support will "help get kids out of the batter's box" when their peers are on the bases. 

Annette Searfoss, director of Franklin County Head Start, said the county and programs have made great progress over the years, but this resolution will help achievement in areas that are lacking. 

She said she has heard from many local moms that there is not enough support for those that need extra help and education. Improving systems so that these parents know help is out there and know how to get to it is a key part of the resolution. 

By entering the collaborative, the county gains support from national and state players in helping families navigate programs to help themselves, including child welfare programs, parental education classes, home visitation services for new and expecting parents, high-quality child care and early learning programs, and federal programs such as Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid, and more. 

Thomas described the initiative this way: "We're not talking about school for babies. We're talking about school for parents, so parents can deliver," Thomas said. 

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Carrie Gray, county administrator, shared a personal story about how the county's early intervention program helped her and her family before and after her son's premature birth eight years ago. 

"I was excited to get services for my son who needed them because he was born premature, but what I didn't anticipate was the amount of support that was there for me as a mom and my husband as a dad," she said. "And so it's very exciting to be here eight years later. My son was ready for kindergarten thanks to the great work of the community and everyone in this room, and it's fantastic to see that it's just going to be exponentially increasing." 

She added that her experience demonstrates that the county has long been collaborating on early childhood initiatives, as she learned about the support available to her while admitted to a Harrisburg hospital. 

The focus on early childhood was a result of a study on indicators of prosperity that was done around 2010, said Dave Keller, chairman of the board of commissioners. 

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Thomas noted that while it is not the county's job to administer early-childhood support programs, failure of those programs impacts the use of corrections, mental health services and other areas down the line that the county is responsible for. 

"If we don't get engaged here, those issues we are dealing with on the back end will never stop," he said. 

Thomas said Franklin County is among the first counties in the nation and only the second in Pennsylvania to sign the resolution.