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Councilman Greg Stanton's
North Central News Column
January 2005
Success through early childhood education
A growing vibrant city requires a diversified economy and a highly educated workforce. In order for us to move into a competitive knowledge-based economy, we must have the best pre-k-12 possible, including high quality early childhood education.
As a member of Governor’s School Readiness Board, I’ve worked with education, community and business leaders to develop early educations recommendations and priorities for our state. As Chair of the city’s Education Subcommittee, I understand and promote the importance of high-quality early childhood education.
Research tells us that children are much more likely to succeed in school if they come to school well prepared to learn. Ninety percent of a child’s brain is developed from birth to age three and early childhood education is a critical strategy to ensure children begin school with the skills necessary to succeed.
While this may sound daunting, early childhood education opportunities are all around us, including parent education and family support programs, child care, preschool, family child care, relative care, Early Head Start and Head Start, full-day kindergarten, early intervention and linkage to health services. The Phoenix Public Library has wonderful, free programs for our youngest readers.
Full-day kindergarten improves language and math skills, leads to higher achievement test scores and improves school attendance and social skills. Head Start includes a strong early childhood education program from birth to age five. It is a comprehensive program with parent involvement and social services for the entire family. This program is targeted at increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families.
Ensuring our children have quality pre-kindergarten education is critical because it is a direct link to our children’s long-term educational success, which is a direct link to our economy. The Morrison Institute reports that the quality of the state’s education system is the number one priority that can attract new business and knowledge economy workers to the state.
Phoenix has taken an important step in building knowledge economy capital by constructing the International Genomics Consortium headquarters and the Translational Genomics Research Institute laboratories, but we must add to that through education. When we support and encourage education, we are supporting and encouraging our children to further their education and obtain high-paying jobs right here in Phoenix .
If you have any questions about this or any other issue, as always, please feel free to call my office at 602-262-7491, greg.stanton@phoenix.gov or visit my Web site at
www.phoenix.gov/DISTRICT6 .
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