Success begins the moment nurturing and brain development begins

I've spent more than 40 years in higher education, including 14 as the president of Northern Arizona University. I've been fortunate to see directly how much the chance to succeed and achieve means to young people and to their families. While it's common to believe that the path to achievement begins when schooling begins, brain science and parenthood tell a different story. Early in my career, I had a chance to work directly with Head Start, a federally funded program available to only a few children from low-income families but with many of the components as envisioned by the leaders of First Things First.

I have learned that success begins the moment nurturing and brain development begins. By helping to ensure quality childhood experiences from birth through age 5, First Things First has put hundreds of thousands of children from all over Arizona on the path to success. I believed in this program when it was proposed in 2006 -- when it was created by voters who agreed to invest approximately $150 million a year in increased tobacco tax revenue to make the program possible -- and I believe in it today.

DR. EUGENE M. HUGHES
President Emeritus
Northern Arizona University
http://www.azdailysun.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_cbb82d4e-efd1-5c8d-a551-e7abcfffcd6c.html