Written by Matt McCoy | 29 July 2010

All children can benefit from preschool education, but for far too long our state lacked a comprehensive approach to ensuring all Iowa families had access to high-quality preschool.

When studies began to show our kids were entering kindergarten without the language and literacy skills they needed to be successful in school, we responded by establishing a Voluntary Statewide Preschool Program that has made high-quality preschool available to families throughout Iowa.

Because of our efforts, more than 21,000 Iowa preschoolers in 326 school districts are expected to benefit from at least 10 hours per week of high-quality instruction by this fall.

Before the Statewide Preschool Program was created, only 19 percent of 3- and 4-year-old children in Iowa had access to quality preschools. That has jumped to 60 percent today. And thousands of additional children attend Head Start, Early Childhood Special Education and other programs that prepare them for a strong start in school.

In spite of tough economic times, I’m committed to maintaining the Voluntary Statewide Preschool Program and other early learning opportunities for our children. The benefits are obvious when kids start kindergarten and continue through graduation.

Not only that, strong preschools are good for the economy in our local communities. Business leaders and employers all across Iowa say access to high-quality childcare and preschool make it easier to attract and retain good employees and businesses.

Thank you to all who’ve taken part in making this important effort a reality, including parents and grandparents, local schools, community and business leaders, and especially the caregivers and preschool teachers who work hard every day to make sure our kids are getting the skills they need.

By getting our next generation of Iowa leaders off to great start, we are helping to ensure a successful future them, for ourselves and for our state.

Written by Matt McCoy | 28 July 2010

According to scientists at the National Research Council, 85 percent of brain growth occurs in the first six years of life. No wonder early brain development is so important to a child’s future abilities.

We can help Iowa kids live up to their full potential through quality early childcare, which prepares kids to succeed in school and throughout their lives.

Here in Iowa, quality childcare is especially important because our state ranks high among those where both parents work to support their families.

Over the last decade, we’ve tackled this challenge by expanding preschool opportunities, most notably with Iowa’s Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program. In fact, our state now offers publicly supported preschool for almost two-thirds of all 4-year-olds.

Other proposals I’ve supported that are helping hard-working Iowa families and their children succeed include:

• Strengthening our state’s early childhood system and expanding access to high-quality early childhood education.
• Creating a state-level childcare tax credit to help working parents afford the quality care they need for their kids.
• Increasing funding and access for Hawk-I, our state’s health insurance program for children from lower-income families.
• Increasing reimbursement rates to childcare centers.
• Expanding the use of a Quality Rating System for child care facilities so that parents can know their kids are getting top-notch care.

I’m proud that our state is serious about our children’s growth, development and success, and I’m committed to continuing our efforts. To learn more about programs for Iowa’s young children and their families, go to www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/Iowa_Early_Childhood_Initiatives/index.html