National discourse has been centered lately on education and solutions to equalize educational opportunities for all students. Research has shown that preschool years are the most critical for children, the time when the greatest impact can be made on those young minds. That is just the message that The Urban Child Institute works tirelessly to get out into the community.

The Institute president and CEO Eugene Cashman said the most vital message his organization needs to get out into the community is that public educational funding is not being spent on these children, despite the fact that 80 percent of their brain structure is being formed during these early years.

It’s important during those first three years to talk to a child, read to a child, play with a child,” Cashman said. “It doesn’t cost anything, but it’s basically what provides activity and stimulus for the child, and helps promote optimum brain development.” Cashman added that the institute is trying to spread the message that “The earliest investment in a child has the greatest return.”

As part of its efforts of educating the community about the health and well-being of children, the institute has several key initiatives. They are the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) Research Study, a longitudinal observational study of the development and ability to learn in children from birth to age three; Touch, Talk, Read and Play, a program that encourages parents to provide positive stimulation during those formative years, and releasing the Annual Data Book, which reports on the state of children in Memphis and Shelby County.

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