Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Texas legislators face the tough task of steering the state out of fiscal shortfall while assuring future economic competitiveness. A key to this mission is deciding how best to ensure the sustainability & positive results of an already nationally-recognized Pre-K effort.
While pre-k is not often in the spotlight lawmakers should recognize that early learning is the foundation for a strong competitive workforce.
Not long ago the critical importance of intellectual stimulation during a childs first years was unknown. An increasing body of research now shows that more than 85 of the foundation for communication critical thinking and literacy is developed by age 5.
Education and nurturing during these early years can shape the future prospects for our children and society at large. Strong pre-k programs already serving 4-year-olds across the state have been shown to increase standardized test scores and high school graduation rates as well as reduce crime delinquency and teen pregnancy.
Such benefits provide an economic basis for investing in early childhood education.
Economists have shown that for every public dollar invested in high-caliber
early education an average of $7 can be saved by ensuring that children are prepared to succeed in school and life thereby reducing the need for remedial education and the costs of other social service supports.
Multiply this by the growing population of 4-year-olds served and you see the bottom-line impact.
Yet many children in our state do not have access to pre-k even though it is intended to be universal. Ultimately if every Texas child under the age of 5 had access to quality care & early education Texas could reap exponential rewards and positively impacting our communities and the bottom-line.
Some may argue that more investment in pre-k should benefit only families who cannot afford quality childcare on their own. But making enrollment income-based is counter-productive: most school failure occurs in children above the poverty line. Many families earn too much to qualify for an income-based program but too little for a high-quality private pre-k program.
Early education & care often represents nearly a third of average monthly expenses for a middle-class family with two small children according to a Pew Centers Pre-K Now report. That is a higher percentage than the family spends on food transportation health care or rent.
Not only will an investment in early childhood education help children and their families it will support the economic activity of the state as a whole.
A recent study by the
Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning shows that the availability of childcare in Georgia supports annual parent
earnings of at least $13 billion. Moreover the childcare industry as a whole generates $4.1 billion in Georgia annually.
In this challenging economic climate it is more critical than ever to invest our limited resources in proven economic strategies.
Texas nationally recognized pre-k which prepares children with the knowledge and skills required to compete in our global economy is the correct strategy.
