#PreKForAll: So All Children Have the Chance to Thrive

I am a proud aunt to a very precocious kindergartener. I remember when she was three and she shocked the whole family with her grasp of complex verb tenses. And over Memorial Day, she astonished me with her adept reading of Amelia Bedelia.

Her language and reading skills are extremely impressive and so are her pre-math, writing, and interpersonal skills. I’d like to think it’s solely because she shares some of my genetic material, but I know her wonderful prekindergarten experiences deserve credit too.

Starting as an infant, my niece was exposed to rich early childhood experiences, with her parents and extended family, at her family child care home, and then at preschool. She listened to stories, sang songs, played games, colored pictures, and the list goes on.

Every child should have the opportunity to thrive in a stimulating preschool classroom filled with playmates, art supplies, books, blocks, and caring teachers. But there are not enough publicly financed slots for all the children who need them, and for most families, the cost of private preschool is prohibitive. Only 43 percent of 3 and 4 year olds with family incomes below $20,000 per year are enrolled in preschool, compared to 65 percent of 3 and 4 year olds with family incomes at or above $75,000 per year.

We know this lack of access has major consequences for the most at-risk children. Studies have found that at-risk children who attend high-quality early education programs have lower rates of grade retention, higher high-school graduation rates, and lower rates of juvenile arrest than children in comparison groups who do not attend high-quality preschool.

Thankfully these facts have caught the ear of President Obama. He understands that our families and our country will do better when we ensure that all children have access to high-quality early childhood experiences that will put them on the path to success in school and in life.

The Strong Start for Children Campaign supports the President’s plan to expand preschool, high-quality child care, and home-visiting to give all children the best chance of reaching their potential. Over the course of this campaign we’ll be using the hashtag #PreKforall on Twitter. Join us in the conversation, because all children deserve the chance to thrive.