The Governor's Commission on Early Learning adopted the
following
Children's Bill of Rights on June 15, 1999.
Children’s Bill of Rights
The Governor’s Commission on Early Learning
encourages parents and caregivers of
young children to voluntarily embrace the following:
Preamble
It is important for our very youngest children
to be provided with a safe, nurturing, and
healthy environment. Scientific studies have shown that the ages 0-3 years are critical to
the brain development of children. A child’s current and future ability is linked to
this brain
growth which occurs in the context of nurturing relationships and experience.
What we do will forever shape their future and leave
an imprimatur for all of society. We
should effect systematic changes in societal values and elevate the importance and
commitment
for parenting infants and toddlers. We should establish a new resolve in all parts of
society to
embrace the importance of establishing an early learning environment from which children
emerge
actively engaged and continually developing skills conducive to lifelong learning.
Bill of Rights
We hold these truths to be self evident, that all
children are born with certain inalienable rights,
among these are a safe home, caring parents, access to healthcare, an educable mind, and
an
optimistic outlook on life.
As the most helpless beings of all humanity and the
most underrepresented citizens we have,
it is a fundamental obligation that all children be raised in a safe haven, free from
physical
and psychological mistreatment. Children should be protected from violence and abuse, be
provided proper nutrition, given unlimited love, and be encouraged to pursue life in as
ambitious a way as possible.
Children deserve to have the consistent and loving
attention of their parents. Parents have
children and should accept all the responsibilities entailed. Parents should be actively
engaged in
parenting during a part of each and every day, providing encouragement, support,
discipline, and love.
Quality child care should be provided when the
parents are unavailable. Parents should fashion a quality
environment by relying on an appropriate mix of personal, family, community and government
agency
support.
A healthy child grows and develops with greater
ease. Our children have a right to comprehensive health
care that includes prevention, early detection and intervention. No child should be denied
access to
physical and mental health services for any reasons.
Every child has a right to learn a socially
acceptable value system and obtain a developmentally age
appropriate, quality education. As our children’s first teachers, parents need to
become educated on how
to parent and how to teach the basic rudiments for life-long learning.
To safeguard these Rights, We solemnly publish and
pledge to support this Bill of Rights For Children,
so that all children can experience joy, happiness, hope, and become responsible citizens.