Little Freya Colvill's eyes follow mother Lea around the kitchen as she cooks dinner with the sun setting in the windows. She peacefully coos, knowing her mother is nearby and lovingly addressing all her needs.

Learning has already begun. At this stage, it doesn't cost a dime, and the payoffs are priceless.

Lea knew the importance of prenatal care long before she got pregnant and asked her health practitioner for guidance. She took prenatal vitamins, paying special attention to folic acid, calcium and iron --folic acid for brain development, iron for the blood and calcium for healthy bone structure.

Like many parents, Lea knows that getting children ready for a lifetime of learning begins in utero by having good prenatal care for the mother. But that is only the beginning of the most important five years of a person's life.

Studies show that cognitive ability is formed relatively early in life and becomes less malleable as children age.

Lea recalled that even Buddhist monks know the value of early childhood development. They have a saying, she said that goes something like this: A child's whole character is determined be the time they are 5 years old.

Researchers say that investing in children early on lowers government expenditures for remedial and special education, and lessens criminal justice involvement and welfare expenditures, including health care. They also say higher government revenues result because investing early equates to a greater income as adults, leading to more taxes collected.

Last year, Gov. Brian Schweitzer hosted two summits on school readiness focusing on the importance of early childhood.

"Montana's children are tomorrow's workforce," he said in an executive summary. "There is a connection between quality education and economic success. It has been demonstrated in economies and by education specialists across the world that the best results come from the best beginnings."

The summits helped community, government and business leaders come together, working to advance a state-wide effort to prepare youngsters for school and to raise awareness of the importance of the first few years of life.

Some members of the group continued efforts to look at how all children can receive early education so by the time they head into public school, they are well armed with basic academia as well as good social skills to help them succeed.

The group is called the Tri-County School Readiness Team and is sponsoring events this week focused around the Week of the Young Child.

One of the goals the team had after the Governor's summit was to come up with ideas on how to get school readiness information out to everyone in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson and Broadwater Counties, said Patty Dahl, co-chair of the Tri-County School Readiness Team.

"One idea led to another but we all felt drawing attention to 'The Week of the Young Child'

would be a great start," she said. "We wanted to do something fun and educational for young children. Plus, we wanted to provide ... information to parents to enhance their role as their child's primary educator."

Even bankers get into the mix. A report released by Rob Grunewald and Art Rolnick of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis notes the important of early childhood learning. They suggest that the investment in early childhood education and policies that facilitate such moves will have a high public return.

"Although we don't pretend to have all the answers to economic development, we are certain that investing in early childhood education is more likely to create a vibrant economy than using public funds to lure a sports team by building a new stadium or to attract an automaker by providing tax breaks," the bankers note in their report.

James Heckman, Nobel Prize winning economist, says when babies consistently receives what they need -- comfort when upset, stimulation that is not overwhelming, and plenty of loving, playful interactions with gentle encouragements, they learn to trust the world. It is through these efforts that toddlers are able to develop the social and emotional skills needed to succeed later in school and throughout life, he said.

Government leaders at the state and local levels have been deeply engaged for years in efforts to promote economic development and some researchers say the answers lie in the investment of our youngest citizens.

A 2002 committee for economic development noted that society pays in many ways for failing to take full advantage of the learning potential of all its children, from lost economic productivity and tax revenues to diminished participation in the civic and cultural life of the nation.

"We cannot afford to postpone investing in children until they become adults, nor can we wait until they reach school age -- a time when it may be too late (to) intervene," Heckman said.

The North Carolina Abecedarian Project, in which disadvantaged children were given five years of exposure to early education in a high-quality preschool setting, has demonstrated that these students are far more likely to go to college. The study look at the participants at age 21 and found that about 35 percent of the young adults in the intervention group, as opposed to 14 percent in the control group, had either graduated from or were at the time of assessment attending a four year college or university.

An analysis of the study conducted by the National Institute for Early Education found that children in high-quality early care programs can expect to make roughly $143,000 more throughout their lifetimes than children not receiving these benefits.

Proponents of early education urge lawmakers to stop playing lip service to the importance of early intervention opportunities and establish policies that cater to the investment of young children for sake of society.

Which is why Lea, every day, does the best she can to prepare her baby for a solid future in learning. Because investing in a little attention now, she believes, will pay enormous dividends in the future.

Family Outreach: Expert assistance

Like many families with four children, life is full for Sandy and Stephen Banker. Adding to the typical hustle of feeding, bathing, and playing was their decision to home-school two children.

But when the Banker's fourth child, Amanda, was born, they were told she had Down syndrome. That added a few more hills and valleys to the roller coaster of life, but with the help of Family Outreach, some of that was evened out.

It was while Amanda was in the hospital in Great Falls and through a family friend that the Bankers learned of Family Outreach.

Sandy says Family Outreach comes to her home weekly and has set short-term and long-term goals for Amanda. One goal is learning how to sit up on her own, which requires gaining strength in the muscles that allow her to do it. So Family Outreach gave Amanda a Bumbo chair that enables her to sit up while building those very muscles.

Days are full as Sandy tries to clean and cook while preparing lessons for Alycia, 10, and Hannah, 6 and facilitating a lot of playtime for Nathanael, 3.

Family Outreach provides home based services, education and support services to children and families with developmental delays or disabilities. It currently serves 116 children in Broadwater, Jefferson, Powell and Lewis and Clark counties.

Renee Boundy, family support coordinator, says how the program works depends on the family.

"It looks different for each family," she said. "Somebody might really want to work on speech, others might want to work on motor skills."

Every family involved in Family Outreach has an individualized plan, which is based around their goals and the objectives to support those goals, Boundy says.

Sandy says she now knows that early intervention is even more important for children with disabilities, because of her work with Family Outreach.

"The sooner the better," Sandy said.

Family Outreach staff members have also helped Amanda with gross motor skills, language, infant massage and supplied Sandy with literature on almost anything she's had questions or concerns about.

Family Outreach offers services to children younger than 3 with delays caused by autism, toxic exposure or cerebral palsy. They automatically qualify for this state funded program.

Limited openings are available after age 3, but up until the age of 6, Family Outreach can provide services if the child is at risk for a developmental disability, Boundy said. After age 6, children must have a diagnosis for a developmental disability to qualify for services.

Little Amanda is now 1years old and weights about 15 pounds. One of her big struggles, as with many children with Down syndrome, is eating because her chin and jaw are small, making her tongue feel big.

Paula Black, a family support specialist with Family Outreach, says it is not only the structure of the mouth but Amanda's weak tongue muscle tone, which is typical of those with Down syndrome.

Typically these children have problems pushing the food back to the throat and an "Ark probe" might be recommended. The plastic toothbrush-like probe is sometimes used in the child's mouth, so when they bite down it not only creates oral stimulation but also strengthens their jaw. The square tip on the end, where bristles would go on a toothbrush, has bumps on one side and rigid lines on the other. When Amanda chews on it with her gums she can feel the different textures on each side, which helps her jaw muscles.

Black is one of ten specialists who work with children with special needs and their families in the four surrounding counties. Each specialist in the program works with between 14 and 17 children in their individual homes.

Sandy is grateful for the opportunity to be Amanda's mother and says having her in their family has taught her a lot.

"Now I don't take anything for granted," she said while gently kissing her infant daughter.

When the simple tasks become complicated

Six children younger than five, with three having special needs, makes John and Kim Michaels life complex.

The Michaels are the parents of twins, Wynter and Davis, 5, and triplets Phoebe, Harrison and Irelyn, 3. Chandler, 18, lives away from home. Davis has autism and Irelyn and Phoebe have cerebral palsy.

Facing daily activities in the home, like bathing or preparing a meal, sometimes are daunting tasks. Bath time is particularly hard because she can't put them all in the tub together, Kim said. One by one the children get undressed with help of the parents, get their hair srubbed and their body washed. One by one, they get out, get dried off and put on their pajamas. Kim often shares her bath with one of the children, getting only half of her baths, at best, by herself.

Mealtime is just as chaotic. Phoebe's cerebral palsy has limited her mobility to a wheelchair, but that doesn't stop the preschooler from getting into mischief. She is often found, among the other five children tootling around the kitchen while mom is cooking, pulling out all the cupboard drawers.

Kim says at the end of the days she feels good if she's gotten the basics done.

"We are so different," Kim said. "Nobody is in the same situation as us."

Still, she knows beyond those basics her children have other needs too. She believes mental or social handicaps are harder than physical ones to deal with as a parent, and she particularly struggles with Davis' autism.

One program that she's found helpful is Helena Public School's Special Education Preschool, which Davis attends.

The 30-year old program teaches preschoolers who are eligible for special education. It focuses on the strengths, goals and needs of individual children and has changed and evolved as the children do. The program serves eligible children ages 3 to 5 and services may include speech and language therapy, transportation, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

In 1989, the Helena Public School and Rocky Mountain Development Center's Head Start joined in programs and location to serve preschool children in the area. Currently both are housed in the Neighborhood Center.

The Special Education Preschool Program helps the Michaels family in many ways, Kim said. Along with aiding her in dealing with Davis' autism, it has helped her to become educated about physical needs of her children with cerebral palsy.

"The teachers are so knowledgeable about children with special needs and if they don't know it, they'll learn it," she said.

She attended a class on speech delays, which is an issue of children with autism. She says she learned about the different ways in which children communicate and parents can get down to their level to try understand what they want when they can't verbalize it.

John admits the children can be intimidating at times but said, "When we had children, we knew it was going to be hard."

Kim says her husband is away most of the day as he works in new product development for American Chemet. Still, he helps in many ways, particularly in organizing and helping the family strategize their day.

"He is a very, very patient man and I think that helps," Kim said.

Kim said depending on the help of friends and family is almost necessity.

"Don't be afraid to ask for help," she said. "There are people out there to help."

Week of the Young Child events

Preschool story hours are happening in public schools in Helena and East Helena. Preschool children are invited to the elementary schools in their area to participate in the story time just for them. Individual schools will have times on their reader boards.

Reading in the Rotunda is scheduled for Thursday, April 26 from 9 to 11 a.m. Area educators and delegates will be reading a story to children in the rotunda.

Preschoolers who attend each event will get an age-appropriate book to take home (while supplies last).