Two Percent

Two Percent.  That's the number of eligible preschoolers Ohio served in the 2009/2010 school year, according to a recent Columbus Dispatch article highlighting the grim numbers.  Our state has cut more funds for early childhood education than any other state in the country.  The effects of these cuts will be felt for years to come, as children from poor and minority areas will not be prepared for kindergarten... already trying to play catch up right out of the gate.

While Secretary of State Arne Duncan tells states to invest in early childhood education, and states like Ohio are cash strapped and slashing budgets, no one knows where the funding will come from for our most vulnerable population.  Unfortunately, studies show that a lack of early childhood education can not be made up later.  Kindergarten teachers can predict with a 90% accuracy rate, whether or not a child will graduate high school.  At the Mom Congress earlier this month, Mark Shriver showed a video from his Save the Children Foundation on the importance of early childhood education.  Pay now or pay later:

I agree with Duncan in that it's up to us, as parents and citizens of this state to demand more.  Hopefully articles like this well get more people's attention and they'll be outraged just as I was.  If lawmakers really feel that everyone... including 3 and 4 year old children have to tighten their belt-straps and tough out this economic downturn, they do this at their own peril.  If they want this state to move forward, rebuild and attract businesses, the only way to do that, is to start at the beginning and invest in education.  Otherwise, we'll be paying for it later.