Though 1998 infant mortality statistics are encouragingly down, some ethnic and racial groups show no signs of improvement, and in some communities, infant mortality rates have even increased. A parent is a child s first and best teacher. With a parent s help, the vital brain development and connections a child makes during his first three years of life provide the foundation for a lifetime. Many new parents hungrily seek advice and guidance, but one of four children under the age of three lives in poverty, plagued by hunger, poor nutrition, and neglect. Clearly their early years are not a time of fun and learning.
Most adults learn to parent from the examples of their own childhood.
Some new parents, however, without healthy role models, start-off unequipped for the challenges ahead. The public health field has long struggled to reach at-risk families. Successful strategies to reach these families need to be identified and supported, and effective educational materials must be created to teach parenting skills both to lower the infant mortality rate and enhance the quality of young children s lives. Though there may be no single factor responsible for a child s failure to thrive, providing parents with educational materials and community support - in effect, creating informed, confident parents, can make the difference between life and death for a young child.