
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 13, 1994                   TAG: 9404130114
SECTION: NATIONAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CHILDREN UNDER 3 FACE GREATEST RISKS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, STUDY FINDS

WASHINGTON - A task force of leading business executives, medical experts and childhood specialists warned Tuesday that as many as half of the 12 million American children under age 3 face risks that could jeopardize their futures.

In an extensive study issued by the Carnegie Corp., a New York-based foundation, the panel cited demographic and social changes that have left many of these youngest children in poverty, in single-parent homes, victimized physically by adults and in low-quality child care.

``Our nation's children under the age of 3 and their families are in trouble, and their plight worsens every day,'' the report said.

The study adds momentum to what has become something of a movement to address the needs of young children. The Clinton administration has considered expanding Head Start, which for most children begins at age three or four, to younger children. Attorney General Janet Reno has called for a program dubbed ``Educare,'' which would provide high-quality day care, nurturing and school preparation to children from birth to age three.

Also, numerous child care experts have urged that businesses and governments institute more flexible policies to help working parents care for very young children through longer parental leaves and parttime employment.

The Carnegie report cites a range of statistics underscoring the risk to children: A quarter of births are to unwed mothers, almost half of all children will experience a divorce during childhood, one in four infants and toddlers live in poverty, babies under age 1 are the fastest growing age group in foster care, nearly 40 percent of 2-year-olds are not properly immunized; one in three victims of physical abuse is under the age of 1.

While much of the formation of brain cells takes place before birth, the formation of synapses - the connections among cells - takes place ``with astounding rapidity'' before age 1, the report said. And scientists now believe that a baby's social environment - particularly stress - can activate hormones in such a way that they adversely affect brain functions such as learning and memory.

by CNB