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EARLY ON -
JENNIFER GRANHOLM: Get involved to change young lives
by Governor Jennifer Granholm, Detroit Free Press,
January 20, 2003
Original URL:
http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/egran20_20030120.htm
For more articles visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
For more than three years, my family and I have mentored a
12-year-old girl from Detroit. Our young friend has joined us
in perusing exhibits at the Detroit Institute of Arts, riding
the glass elevators at the Renaissance Center, cheering for
the Tigers at Comerica Park, and watching butterflies at the
Detroit Zoo. We have contributed to her life, and she has
greatly enriched ours.
My "mentee" is not so far in age from my own daughters. On
quiet afternoons at the library, I am reminded of the critical
importance of reaching out to Michigan's next generation.
Like so many of Michigan's children, my mentee is not blessed
with an ideal home situation. The lessons my husband and I
taught our own daughters and son at home at an early age --
reading, sharing and interacting with other children and
adults -- were, unfortunately, not the same ones she was
getting in her formative years. Now, as a girl on the cusp of
young adulthood, my mentee looks to me to provide both a
catch-up on the lessons she should have learned as a young
child and a strong guiding hand on the ones she should be
getting to prepare her to be a successful member of our
society.
Michigan's children are its future; early education and
hands-on mentoring are among the two surest, most direct ways
we can guarantee a bright horizon for us and for them.
Is either a silver bullet? Almost.
Brain science research shows that the greatest window for
learning occurs before kindergarten. The more words and
positive statements children hear before going to school, the
more likely they are to be successful once they get there.
While some children come to school having heard 50 million
words and 800,000 encouraging statements, others arrive having
heard only 15 million words and 100,000 encouragements. Those
children who are not spoken to, and not spoken to in a loving
and encouraging way, come to school miles behind the line at
which others start.
Mentoring is similarly potent.
A national study of more than 1,000 at-risk young people found
that mentored children were less likely to skip school, less
likely to begin using illegal drugs and less likely to resort
to violence.
Even in these tight budget times, it makes budgetary sense to
invest a few hours mentoring an at-promise child rather than
spending $30,000 a year to house a new member of the
correctional system later in life. A skilled, educated
workforce is an economic imperative.
As governor, I will not let our financial crisis stand in the
way of our moral and economic obligation to raise all of our
children strong and healthy. Perhaps more than ever, we need
Michigan's citizens and Michigan's business partners to pitch
in, to be citizen patriots and to help us with this vital
work.
Soon, I will announce an initiative to expand early childhood
education programs to all of Michigan's schools. We will have
to start small, by piloting programs in one or two school
districts, but we will reach out to expand preschool
opportunities and provide parent education. And we will have
to be creative in our funding. I will be announcing a
partnership with Michigan's generous philanthropic community
to create a position on my executive staff with the sole
purpose of finding private dollars to fund our initiatives --
primarily early education.
And together with my husband, Dan Mulhern, I will relaunch the
Mentor Michigan program I started three years ago as
Michigan's attorney general. Mentor Michigan is designed to
link children who need a little guidance with an adult who's
looking to lead. We've recruited more than 4,000 adults
already, and we're looking to add you to the list.
Raising our children cannot be a spectator sport. If 10
million of us asked what we could do for Michigan, what
wonders could our future hold for us and for our children
tomorrow? So can we afford to invest a few hours to become a
friend and to change a life? Or to give our children an equal,
energetic start on learning when they're most hungry for
knowledge? The answer has to be yes.
JENNIFER GRANHOLM is governor of Michigan. Write to her at
P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan 48909. For information on
Mentor Michigan, call 1-877-847-6368.
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