The Institute for Child Success is Hosting the First South Carolina Economic Forum on Early Childhood Investment
January 30, 2013
GREENVILLE, SC – January 30, 2013 – The Institute for Child Success (ICS), in collaboration with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and New Carolina, will host the first South Carolina Economic Forum on Early Childhood Investment on Wednesday, February 6th at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The forum is being sponsored by the United Way Association of South Carolina and Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.
The South Carolina Economic Forum on Early Childhood Investment will be an event for business leaders and policy makers in South Carolina to discuss how they can ensure a more prosperous future by investing in early childhood development.
ICS recognizes that the most effective way to improve the success of children isn’t one child at a time, but by improving the systems that foster the health and education of all children. Our goal is to create a culture that facilitates and fosters the success of children across South Carolina, said Dr. Susan Thomson Shi, chair of ICS board of directors.
John A. Weinberg, senior vice president and director of research of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, will be the keynote speaker at the event. Weinberg has been a member of the team of research economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond for the past 16 years. His numerous articles have covered a broad range of policy issues, including contract theory and the structure of markets for banking and payments services. Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and former Governor of South Carolina, will present his remarks following Weinberg’s presentation.
National studies routinely report that South Carolina lags behind the rest of the country in overall child well-being, reading, and math achievement, said Dick Wilkerson, retired chairman and CEO of Michelin North America and current ICS board member. We must act now to ensure the future prosperity of South Carolina.
In addition to the keynote speakers, the S.C. Economic Forum on Early Childhood Investment will also feature a panel discussion with:
- Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Mayor of Charleston
- Anita Zucker, CEO, The InterTech Group
- Pamela Lackey, President, AT&T S.C.
The vision of ICS is to create a new system in South Carolina that fosters and sustains the success of all children, said Jamie Moon, executive director of ICS. We do that through the three pillars of our work, which are research, advocacy, and integration.
ICS recently launched a public awareness and educational campaign, Kids Drive Our Future, aimed to inform and involve business leaders in supporting smart early childhood policy and smart investment in the first five years of life. The campaign is a singular call to action, involving corporate leaders to help others in the community recognize the importance of early childhood.
About ICS
Through research, advocacy and integration the Institute for Child Success leads public and private partnerships to coordinate, enhance and improve resources for the success of all children. A partnership of the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center Children’s Hospital and the United Way of Greenville County, ICS supports service providers and advocates focused on early childhood development, healthcare, and education-all to coordinate, enhance, and improve those efforts for the maximum effect in the lives of young people. For more information: www.instituteforchildsuccess.org.
