Tucson Opinion: Why Pima County Supervisors Should Fix $ 10M for Quality Preschool | Local editorials and opinions

The coalition of nonprofits and corporate groups is The Preschool Promise. We are organizations and individuals who believe that providing young children with the opportunity to enter kindergarten with the educational tools necessary to be successful in school – and in life – is a noble endeavor.

For much of the past year we’ve heard that we must follow science when it comes to ending a pandemic. The same applies to the support of high quality early childhood education. The science is undeniable.

Children who attend high quality preschool are much more likely to read third grade, fifth grade math, and graduate from high school on time.

Several longitudinal studies have shown that investing $ 1 in a quality preschool can save more than $ 12 during the lives of affected children. These savings result from the avoided costs for remedial education, juvenile justice, welfare and other support services. The work of Dr. James Heckman, a Nobel laureate in economics, is often cited as evidence of the science to be followed.

More than ever, quality early childhood education is needed to get our economy going again, lower unemployment, fuel economic development, and make Pima County a desirable location for business start-ups or growth. Our workforce will not recover from the pandemic if we don’t have quality options for parents trying to get back to work.

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