Early Childhood education

There's a great story on page one of today's Indy Star (it's a print-only story or I would link to it) about preschool education in Indiana. Indiana is one of only 8 states not to fund preschool, and kindergarten is not even required. As a result, only 20 percent of Indiana preschool-aged children are enrolled in preschool, while in Oklahoma it's 87% and in West Virginia 73%. Early childhood debates in recent years have been focused on whether to fund full-day kindergarten (which the state has not done). But oddly enough, kindergarten is not even required in Indiana--students aren't required to enroll in school until they're 7--that's first grade.

Not every child needs organized preschool. Some children have parents at home who are fully engaged in their early education, or day-care providers who do a great job of providing early learning opportunities. But many children--especially children in poverty--don't have these opportunities, and without preschool and full-day kindergarten programs they begin first grade well behind their more fortunate peers.

Here in the Lebanon schools, the superintendent and board made the decision several years ago to provide full-day kindergarten for all students at no cost to families. The state reimburses some of this cost, but about $150,000 a year comes from the local General Fund. We choose to spend it on kindergarten because we believe this is where those funds will have the greatest impact. When I visit schools it's one of the few things every single staff member seems to agree on: full-day kindergarten is a huge asset to our students.

If Governor Daniels, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, and the Indiana General Assembly are serious about student achievement, they'll make kindergarten and preschool a higher priority.