Better Beginnings For D.C. Children

As the District welcomes a new schools chancellor, a remarkable opportunity exists to begin our reform efforts at the very foundation of learning: pre-kindergarten.

Only 11 percent of D.C. fourth-graders are proficient in reading, and just 10 percent of them are proficient in math. Currently more than 2,000 3- and 4-year-olds in the District lack access to any type of pre-kindergarten program. For the District to make good on its promise of educational reform, it must put in place the building blocks for success. It's time to commit to preparing our children for school before these deficits develop by investing in quality pre-kindergarten programs for all of the District's 3- and 4-year-olds.

In a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute, economist Robert Lynch analyzed the impact of a national investment in pre-kindergarten classes. Using local data, Lynch found that for every dollar invested in quality pre-K, the District would receive an $8 return. Further, he concluded that in seven years the investment would begin to pay for itself.

Yet this return on investment can be realized only if we ensure that all D.C. children receive a quality pre-kindergarten education. Currently just 20 percent of pre-K programs in public schools, charter schools and community-based organizations meet national accreditation standards.

To raise pre-K programs to high levels of quality requires less than 1 percent of the total budget ($9.7 billion) for the District. For less than 1 percent of the budget, every family can have access to good pre-K programs. For less than 1 percent, the public school system would substantially improve and more residents would be able to take advantage of the city's economic boom. And for less than 1 percent, the District would add a crucial economic development tool to its portfolio.

Our goal is to make this happen by 2010. We should embrace more than 40 years of research proving that quality pre-kindergarten programs are a wise public investment. D.C. parents, business and community leaders, the philanthropic community, and education reform advocates must come together to ensure that this commitment to our children and to our prosperity becomes a legislative and budgetary priority in the nation's capital.

-- Terrence C. Golden

-- Carrie L. Thornhill

Washington

The writers are campaign co-chairs of Pre-K for All DC.