Conference In Denver Focuses On Early Childhood Development

DENVER (CBS4) - When a baby is born, that little bundle of joy is in our arms and under our tutelage. Parents, family members, parents, teachers and even doctors have a big impact on shaping a child in these critical moments from birth to five years old.

Early childhood development is paramount for young kids because "90 percent of brain development happens in the first five years of their lives," according to Nicole Riehl, COO of Denver's Early Childhood Council.

Riehl joined CBS4's Britt Moreno on set of CBS4 This Morning to discuss the challenges Colorado faces in filling positions in early childhood education. She says Colorado faces a shortage of workers.

In order to keep up with the demand of families, she said "We need to grow the early child care workforce by about 30 percent by 2025."

The benefits are endless for kids and families. Children get the nurturing they need, while families can go to work and contribute to the economy. She says "Colorado has unique opportunity. We have higher than expected revenue forecasts and we can prioritize them to childhood and other things like transportation."

LINK: denverearlychildhood.org

An early childhood convention is in downtown Denver this week that's co-hosted by Denver's Early Childhood Council and the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance. It is happening at the Sheraton in Downton Denver. Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera will kick off the event Thursday and will be joined by keynote speakers Dr. Dana Winters from the Fred Rogers Center and Shiza Shahid, who is best known for co-founding the Malala Fund and her focus on creating access to high quality education for children around the world.

The conference attracts over 2,400 early childhood teaching professionals, business owners, advocates and policy leaders each year.

There are tickets available for Saturday. For more information go to www.RMECConference.com.