Disclaimer:  I partnered with Johnson & Johnson® and Latina Bloggers Connect for this post, however all opinions expressed are my own.

As a momma of two, I am a huge proponent of campaigns that help better the lives of children everywhere. Today, I have the unique opportunity to share with you information aboutJohnson & Johnson® Save the Children Campaign and I hope that you too will be drawn to it and spread the word about it!

JOHNSON’S® has been a longstanding partner of Save the Children, a global organization dedicated to early childhood development with recognized leaders, quality programs and a proven model that invests in childhood every day, in times of crisis and for the future.

Like JOHNSON’S®, Save the Children believes in giving children a healthy start.  The organizations know that by transforming children’s lives now, we can help change the course of their future.

Through its pioneering programs, Save the Children invests in childhood right from the start, helping to ensure girls and boys in need have the best chance to succeed.

Every day, millions of babies may miss opportunities critical to growth and development due to poverty, lack of early stimulation,poor health/nutrition, and lack of early education. [1]

By age three, 85% of a baby’s brain is already developed and the brain forms critical connections that set the foundation for future healthy development.[2]  If the opportunity to have an impact on a child’s development during this time is missed, it becomes very difficult to correct later on.[3]  In addition, U.S. children living in poverty hear an average of 30 million fewer words addressed to them than children from more affluent, professional families. Even children from working-class families may hear 15 million fewer words than children from wealthier families. This word deficit illustrates why children in need start school 18 months developmentally behind, struggle to catch up (many never do) and have reduced opportunities in school and later in life.

Synapses are the connections between brain cells that allow them to communicate. During childhood, synapses form more rapidly than any other time, and the more brain building experiences the child has, the stronger these connections can become.[4]  In children who lack such experiences, these connections can become weaker.[5]

For nearly 15 million children living in poverty in America, they enter kindergarten unready to succeed. Four-year-olds from low-income families are often 18 months developmentally behind their peers. And as these children progress through school, they risk falling so far behind that they can never catch up.[6]

In the U.S, there is a lack of high-quality early childhood and supplemental educational services in many rural areas. Children living in poverty and with little to no access to early education are already 18 months behind developmentally by age 4.

So, I invite you to watch and share the video above, and select Save the Children® through the Donate a Photo app to share your own pics as well. When you do,  and use the #SoMuchMore hashtag – JOHNSON’S® will triple its donation in support of early childhood education programs. So, share the video and help children achieve a better life!!  The Donate a Photo app is available on the App Store and Google Play.  If you choose to donate to Save the Children via the app the donation is tripled!!  Help me spread the word, friends!  The future of our children is at stake!

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!

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[1] Save the Children. (2014). Save the Children and Children’s Early Learning: Our International and U.S. Qualifications, Programs and Leadership.

[2] Save The Children, Early Childhood Development Fact Sheet, April 2015

[3] Save The Children, Early Childhood Development Fact Sheet, April 2015

[4] http://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/why-0-3/baby-and-brain

[5]  https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/brain_development.pdf

[6] Save The Children, Early Childhood Development Fact Sheet, April 2015

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnson & Johnson and Latina Bloggers Connect. The opinions and text are all mine.