OPINION PAGES

My business partner and I have owned and operated The Children’s Garden for 16 years. Since this time we’ve achieved and maintained a Star 3 rating, which designates high-quality child care in Pennsylvania. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, like so many of my colleagues in early learning who are also small business owners, we’ve had to close our child care center.

When my students walk in on that first day of kindergarten, children who didn’t attend high-quality pre-K are usually not as prepared for learning and often struggle to keep up with the children who did.

Offenders who commit crimes deserve to face punishment. But if I had a tool that I could use to keep the kids of Warren County on the right path and keep them out of trouble in the first place, I would do everything in my power to deploy it. That’s why I support high-quality pre-K programs, which help to instill good behavior and social norms and put children on early paths to educational success.

 One trend I’d like to see continue is Pennsylvania investing in evidence-based high-quality pre-kindergarten programs that make a positive difference in the lives of children, families and communities here and throughout the Commonwealth.

It speaks volumes that more than just teachers and education officials are stepping up to the plate advocating for additional investment in high-quality pre-k.

While Governor Wolf and the PA legislature have increased education funding over the past several budget cycles, more continued investments —like the governor’s proposed additional $50 million for high quality Pre-K programs—are sorely needed.