July 1 Meeting Highlights
Jaymie Jacobs and Karri Kerns from First Things First shared information about their program to promote literacy in Arizona. Their program is aimed at early childhood development. Here is a link to the video they showed at our meeting (you can even get sound!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ijGVM1h1nU&t=148s
Investing in early childhood means funding proven programs and innovative strategies for children from birth to age 5 that:
- Strengthen families in their role as their child’s first teacher
- Improve the quality of early learning environments like preschool and child care, and expand access to those programs
- Promote prevention and early identification of health problems that can impact learning later on
Research by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman showed that every $1 invested in quality early childhood programs can yield returns between $4 and $16.
Some things to know about the importance of early childhood literacy:
- If families and caregivers can provide quality early childhood development, then children will start school ready to learn. Early experiences promote future learning, behavior and health.
- If children start school ready to learn, they are more likely to read at grade level by 3rd grade. Remedial costs go down, potential lifelong gaps could be eliminated, and our entire school system is better for all kids.
- If children read at grade level by 3rd grade, they’re more likely to graduate from high school. High school dropouts are 4x more likely to be unemployed, apply for public assistance, and make up 82% of the prison population.
- If children graduate from high school, they are more likely to go on to higher education. Businesses benefit from a better-educated workforce, and high school graduates also can enter the job market as tax-paying citizens.