By Laura Mijares | Early Childhood Council of Archuleta County
The Early Childhood Council of Archuleta County (ECCAC) is hosting a free documentary about the most overlooked, underestimated and powerful force for change in America today: early childhood education.
The ECCAC is sponsoring a community showing of the documentary “No Small Matter” on Tuesday, April 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Pagosa Springs High School auditorium.
Through poignant stories and surprising humor, the film lays out the overwhelming evidence for the importance of the first five years. It reveals how our failure to act on that evidence has resulted in an everyday crisis for American families and a slow-motion catastrophe for the country.
“No Small Matter” is built from stories of real children, families and teachers, illustrating the impact of high-quality early childhood experiences. We meet parents struggling to do their best for their kids, incredible teachers who model what early childhood classrooms should and could be like, and children learning and developing in real time. These cheerful, hopeful stories serve as motivational tools in the film and the “No Small Matter” campaign: Change is necessary, critical and attainable if we put our minds to it.
The film is also firmly grounded in science, opening up what’s happening inside children’s brains with exciting, stimulating animation and the voices of compelling scientists, physicians and early childhood education experts. Drawing on the work of economists such as James Heckman and the latest research in brain imaging and child development, we break down complicated scientific details into layman’s terms, demystifying prevailing ideas that hinder our thinking about children’s behavior and paving the way for us all to see what children truly need to thrive. When it comes to an understanding of the incredible dynamism of how a child’s mind develops, seeing is believing, and these illustrations drive home the critical nature of these early years.
“No Small Matter” is unique in the way it dives deep into the complicated science, history and sociology that has brought our early care and education system to where it is today. However, it does so without sacrificing entertainment or emotional impact. From a comic cameo by Cookie Monster to the tearful testimonial of a fantastic preschool teacher making poverty-level wages, the film has the power to move audiences in ways that a policy fact sheet or op-ed piece can’t do.
For more information on this documentary or if you have questions, please get in touch with the ECCAC at director@eccarchuletacounty.org.
