Moira Kenney, Executive Manager of Beginning 5.

Moira Kenney, Executive Director of First 5.

Moira Kenney
October 9, 2015

In vetoing Associates Nib 47, titled The Preschool For All Deed of 2015, Governor Brownish states that there isn't a need to gear up a deadline for meeting the needs of California'south youngest learners. Tens of thousands of families in every corner of the country would disagree. His decision, to proceed the goal of providing universal preschool to every kid who needs it elusive, is out of step with President Obama, the California legislature, and the more than than 70% of California voters who support universal preschool.

Fifty-fifty though more than than threescore% of California's Latino four-year-olds and half of African-American four-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool, Governor Brown says we tin can continue on small-scale, incremental efforts rather than clear and decisive planning. We stand up with Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, and  AB 47 co-authors Assembly Members Bonta, Chávez, Eduardo Garcia, and Rendon, declaring that children'southward futures deserve more.

From President Obama, to a majority of Republican and Democratic members of the Country Legislature, to business leaders, neuroscientists, teachers, parents and advocates — everyone agrees that loftier quality universal preschool matters.

Broad-based community planning processes that include educators, schoolhouse administrators, philanthropic partners and kid advocates foster systems of early learning that prove quality preschool can, and should, be a reality. While California has fabricated significant strides, the promise of universal preschool remains elusive.

It's hard to find an investment with higher returns. A contempo meta-assay of 50 years of preschool studies clearly demonstrates that high-quality preschool pedagogy can "meaningfully enhance early learning and development." This early on investment produces long-term improvements in both academic and social success that "generate benefits to individuals and the broader society far exceeding costs."

Our own research, including a randomized control study of First 5 San Francisco's decade-old Preschool for All program, showed that children who participated demonstrated a three-iv month gain in early math and literacy skills compared to kindergartners who had not. Graduates too demonstrated significantly better self-regulation than their peers – a distinction that has been documented in other counties beyond the state.

We've worked hard to leverage resource from federal, state, and local partners to invest in improving the quality of early learning. These efforts are non standalone preschools — they're office of a comprehensive, integrated, systematic approach to increment access to and raise the quality of early learning environments.

And what does quality expect like? It means focusing on the components of early learning that matter: teachers, curriculum, environments, and the integration of early on learning with health, developmental and family back up systems.

One model of this integrated approach just launched at First 5 Santa Clara, where Educare California at Silicon Valley will introduce a laboratory for high-quality early learning for at-risk children. The school volition provide direct services to nigh 170 low-income children and their families and will firm the state's leading early learning professional evolution and research constitute.

We know that our programs build a foundation of skills that support children as they continue through school. Data from Commencement v San Joaquin'due south school readiness longitudinal study showed the positive impact of attending high quality preschool programs, with attendees demonstrating lower rates of absenteeism, higher rates of course retention, and better classroom performance in language arts and math.

All these investments are clear proof that high-quality early learning can be scaled, with systems in identify that effectively deliver programs that make a difference for children and families.

Early on learning advocates volition continue to work together to answer California's families call for relief. For now, we volition take the Governor at his discussion, that the budget process will result in clear and continual progress towards the goal of full access. This generation of parents knows, from experience and enquiry, that preschool tin can be an important part of their child'south readiness for school and life. Nosotros must not exit our about vulnerable children behind as we seek to build a California which truly leads the nation.

Moira Kenney is the Executive Director of the First 5 Association of California, an advocacy organization working with the 58 First 5  commissions that provide a network of care for children 0 to v.

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