The Early Learning Coalition of Orange County would like to invite the public to the State of Early Care and Education breakfast forum which will take place February 26, 2013 at the Orlando Science Center.
This year’s topic is Early Childhood Education and the Sustainability of the Central Florida Workforce: Are our children ready for careers in math and science?
According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Florida Scoreboard, there were more than 33,000 jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that needed to be filled in April 2011. By 2018, it is anticipated there would be nearly four times as many jobs in these fields in Florida. In 2018, the current preK class will be in 5th grade, which is an age when most children have already lost interest in math and science.
The goal for the breakfast forum is to help the business community ensure that there is a qualified, STEM-competent workforce in the future by sustaining continued interest in the math and science fields.
The key to success is starting early and research has shown that the most dynamic brain growth occurs from birth to age three. Children without access to high quality early care and education may fall behind, drop out of school, and wind up in the criminal justice system, having a negative impact and cost to on Orange County’s economy.
