Champions CEO, Amy Haile, Talks about Child Development and Kindergarten Readiness

ABC Action News

TAMPA, Fla — The first day of school is less than a month away for Hillsborough County and with around 17,000 babies born each year, Champions for Children Tampa Bay reports that less than half of those babies here in the county are set up for success.

Hillsborough County is the 7th largest school district in the country, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Meanwhile Champions for Children reports that less than 50% of babies born in in the county enter kindergarten ready to learn.

“Learning begins at birth because a child’s brain is growing rapidly from the time of birth to the age of five. About 80%-90% of your brain volume and structure is forming,” Amy Haile, the CEO of Champions for Children, said.