Invest $1 in early education, get back $7
Mindy Binderman is executive director of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. Hala Moddelmog is president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
Every business leader in Georgia has an opportunity today to make a significant, measurable, positive, bottom-line impact on his or her company and community. Action and investment in early childhood education promises to help improve employee productivity now and build the foundation of skills for the workforce of the future. This focus on kids from birth to 5 reduces future expenses for remedial education, crime and other problems. And it leads to higher incomes, creating a stronger consumer base.
While Georgia has led in early childhood education, we face challenges to compete. Last year, two-thirds of Georgia’s fourth graders tested below proficient reading levels, and 61 percent tested below proficient math levels. These reading and math skills are essential building blocks for a well-prepared workforce.
We know 75 percent of students who are not reading at grade level by third grade will never catch up to their peers, putting them at risk of never graduating high school. We see this impact already; in some urban school districts in metro Atlanta, 4 out of 10 high school students will not graduate.
Success begins early. The foundation of skills needed in school and the workplace is built during a child’s first five years. Young children’s brains develop 700 new neural connections every second. These connections build the foundation from which all future learning, behavior and health depend.
Georgia businesses need well-prepared graduates to fill their ranks. The demand for jobs is growing, and at the rate we’re going, we won’t have a proficient workforce to fill them. Employers simply won’t be able to find employees to carry out the work. With this outcome, companies will move elsewhere, with detrimental effects on Georgia households and economy.
Georgia’s leaders can create change. Increasing the quality and accessibility of early care and education is the best way to invest in Georgia’s future. For every dollar invested in early education, we save $7 as a result of lower demand for social services, reduced crimes rates and increased tax revenues.
The good news is Georgians are serious about early education and want action now to provide children ages five and under with better access to high-quality early learning opportunities. A new poll from the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students shows early care and education is a critical issue that generates overwhelming bipartisan support. Nearly 90 percent of Georgia voters support the use of state lottery funds to provide voluntary pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds.
Nearly 80 percent believe state government should expand voluntary pre-kindergarten for all families who want to participate. More than 60 percent believe it is more important to ensure sufficient funding for education than holding the line on taxes and spending.
This election season, we must press our lawmakers to make a commitment to funding quality early learning programs all Georgia families can access. This investment is about more than access to education. It’s also an issue of economy, health care and national security.
Investing in early education is investing in Georgia’s future. We can build a strong workforce pipeline for Georgia, but we must start early.
