4/22/2015

Opinion: Find a way to bring pre-K our way - Opinion: Guest Writers - NorthJersey.com

Opinion: Find a way to bring pre-K our way

APRIL19,2015LASTUPDATED:SUNDAY,APRIL19,2015,1:21AM

BYTOMKEANANDCECILIAZALKIND
THERECORD

Find a way to bring pre-K our way

Tom Kean is a former New Jersey governor and a former president of Drew University who served on President George W. Bush's
Education Policy Advisory Committee. CeciliaZalkind is the executive director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey. She led groups such
as the Early Care and Education Coalition and the New Jersey BUILD initiative and serves on the national Children's Leadership Council.
Both serve on the volunteer leadership group of Pre-K Our Way (prekourway.org), a community-based effort to expand the state's highquality preschool program.
AS A FORMER governor and a statewide child advocate, we both agree that New Jersey children cannot wait any longer for the state to
make good on the promise of preschool. This early education prepares children for school and, ultimately, for success in life while leveraging
the significant investment we make in K-12 education.
New Jersey has built a nationally recognized preschool program but it's only available in a handful of towns. Research shows that children
lucky enough to live in these towns are getting a stronger start and performing much better in school.
Now there is an increasing sense of urgency. Thousands of children are missing out on high-quality preschool simply because of their ZIP
code. It is time to expand New Jersey's successful preschool program. The research is there and the results are in. What's missing is the
political will to put preschool to work for all of New Jersey.
That's why we have joined the leadership group of Pre-K Our Way, a non-partisan initiative to expand New Jersey's preschool program to
90 towns that have been waiting for it for years. We're working with community leaders, educators, early childhood advocates, foundations,
fellow business leaders, elected officials and interested residents to make preschool expansion a priority.
We want to make sure New Jersey finishes what it started. We're not asking for a new program or law. We're simply trying to get the
existing law implemented. More than seven years ago, the New Jersey Legislature agreed that preschool was so important to New Jersey's
future that it enacted a law to expand preschool from 31 districts to an additional 90 towns. Year after year, this expansion goes without full
implementation and too many children go without the early learning they need to arrive at kindergarten prepared for school, ready for
success.
Our children cannot afford that loss, and neither can our state. The National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University
has found that children who attended high-quality preschool have a 20 to 40 percent increase in elementary school test scores, and they are
40 percent less likely to stay back a grade. In addition, by fourth or fifth grade, these children are less likely to require special education. In
fact, they are three-quarters of an academic year ahead of those who did not attend a quality preschool.
In other words, preschool helps children succeed, boosts academic achievement, improves our local schools and builds the talented
workforce New Jersey needs. Research clearly shows us something that has been obvious to many educators and child advocates: If we want
better education outcomes, we need to do a better job of preparing children before they arrive at kindergarten.
This is not a partisan issue. It's a practical one. Every year, the cost of quality preschool increases. Parents value preschool and often make
great sacrifices to provide this to their children, but many families in New Jersey's rural and suburban communities are at a breaking point.
Some struggle to afford quality preschool for their children. Others have simply given up.
It's time to bring pre-K their way. As we go around the state and talk to people, elected officials and community leaders, many tell us that we
must expand preschool. In fact, a recent Monmouth University poll reveals that 57 percent of New Jersey voters say that we should be doing
more to ensure children begin kindergarten with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
New Jersey faces many challenges, but they are not insurmountable. Other states have answered the call of their residents and managed to
provide preschool. States with Democratic and Republican governors alike are investing more and more in quality preschool programs. New
Jersey already has a high-quality, nationally regarded preschool program. It just isn't available to all of our children. It should be.
As a child advocate and a former governor, we can tell you that where there is public will, policymakers find a way. It's past time for New
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4/22/2015

Opinion: Find a way to bring pre-K our way - Opinion: Guest Writers - NorthJersey.com

Jersey to move to help all our children. Please join us in sending a clear message to our elected representatives: Bring pre-K our way. Our
children and state cannot afford to wait any longer.
2015 North Jersey Media Group

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