Early childhood education pays dividends

To the editor:

I was shocked and dismayed by veto of preschool funding from the Mat-Su Borough, and especially by the comments made by Mayor Larry DeVilbiss regarding our preschool programs being “glorified daycare.”

Families in the Mat-Su have many choices regarding their child’s education. In addition to the preschool programs offered through the school district, training and materials have been provided to local childcares, private preschools, and parents who are teaching their children at home. There are many families who would like their child to attend a preschool, but are not eligible for Head Start and can’t afford a private preschool, or whose child has challenging behaviors.

The Widening the Net Preschool was created to provide an opportunity for children who may be at risk for school failure but don’t have access. The preschool programs in our district are staffed with certified teachers, who have a background in early childhood education. A developmentally appropriate preschool has a balance of teacher-directed and student-led activities, including play.

We have provided extensive professional development on the research-based curriculums that are used to meet the State Early Learning Guidelines, and our data on student outcomes speaks for itself. Specifically, the students who attended the Widening the Net preschool last year outperformed the district average on every developmental domain: motor, social emotional, approaches to learning, general knowledge, communication, language and literacy when they started kindergarten.

The students continued to outperform their peers and 84 percent of them were proficient on end of the year literacy assessments. While we have just one year of data from this project, national research has shown that students who attend a high quality preschool are more likely to graduate high school, have good paying jobs, and make healthier lifestyle choices.

It is estimated that for every dollar spent on early childhood education there is a $7 to $10 return on investment. Early childhood should be a bipartisan issue. We need to work together to improve the opportunities for our youngest citizens, and invest in the future of our community. Our state currently only guarantees funds preschool for children with developmental delays, which is short-sighted.

I encourage families and staff to attend the Borough Assembly meeting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 20 and encourage the assembly to override the veto, and to continue to talk to our Borough Assembly and state Legislators about solutions for long-term funding for preschool.

Kelly McBride

Wasilla