My sister Shannon shared with me this wonderful example of a specific practice through which Finland demonstrates its commitment to the development of all the human beings in the country...
Read the full article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22751415
Compare that lovely nationwide practice of care to the perhaps equally long-standing American practice of bashing and blaming working mothers...
case in point, the recent remarks my OTHER sister Erin sent me...
At a live Washington Post event earlier this week, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) said that America is so "mediocre" in educational outcomes because "mom is in the workplace."
The subsequent MomsRising action alert puts it beautifully:
"The problem in our nation isn't that moms are working, it's that our nation isn't working for moms. Statements like this one from Governor Bryant are about passing the buck. The fact is that we have a modern society, with 3/4 of moms in the labor force, but we're far behind the rest of the world when it comes to systems that allow both contemporary families and businesses to thrive."
Here's a link to the MomsRising petition to demand an apology from Governor Bryant:
http://action.momsrising.org/sign/GovBryant1/?akid=4345.83880.9iU_Ut&rd=1&t=2
Let's keep focusing on a world where we help moms and dads and kids thrive...and enrich our economy to boot!
Keep the faith!
- Sara
Thanks for sharing this inspiring experience. It is interesting how simple interventions well thought-through and strategized can make such a great difference. I am enthused by the connection made between the baby box and the pre-natal care which is so crucial.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I marvel at the constancy of the government policy. I come from a country - Kenya - where good initiatives do not tend to last beyond the lifespan of a government. they either go down in quality or disappear altogether.
A case in point was a free milk for Primary School children in the 1980s. This initiative not only boosted nutrition for children, but also encouraged even the poorest families to send their children to school. Unfortunately the initiate did not last. Kudos to Finnland. Much to learn.