Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Rick Davis, the co-founder and president of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children.
Thanks to Gov. Shumlin’s inaugural address (and President Obama’s State of the Union address), early education is receiving plenty of attention — as it should. Both highlighted the importance of providing a solid foundation for our children during their earliest years. As this discussion moves forward, questions undoubtedly will arise: What would such support look like? What is the need?
The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children can offer some answers. Since 2000, we have worked with community leaders, childhood experts, and other private foundations to build a bridge of support for our youngest citizens, starting at birth and extending through their school years.
We can share results of two early childhood initiatives in Vermont to demonstrate what is possible when good ideas are put into action.
Universal quality pre-K is essential
The Permanent Fund began concentrating on pre-Kindergarten education a number of years ago, when we saw a powerful community process in action that resulted in the creation of a publicly funded preschool in St. Albans. As a result, in 2005, the Vermont Community Preschool Collaborative (VCPC) was born. Our goal: To develop a statewide solution for high quality, universal access to pre-K in Vermont.
What difference does publicly funded quality pre-K make for Vermont communities and families? In some cases it means the difference between a child experiencing pre-K or not.
Since the passage of Act 62 and VCPC’s inception, 41 school districts have endorsed high quality pre-K programs and 6,000 Vermont children are now enrolled. Universal access to quality pre-K is within our reach.
What difference does publicly funded quality pre-K make for Vermont communities and families? In some cases it means the difference between a child experiencing pre-K or not. Springfield (Vt.) has seen kindergarten readiness increase from 28 percent to 60 percent over a three-year period. This translates to greater K-12 success, reduced special education costs, and better outcomes for our children later in life.
Building quality into the child care system
The availability of child care is what allows Vermont parents to go to work each day. In Vermont, 70 percent of our children spend some portion of their day in child care. Studies have shown that 90 percent of core brain development occurs by the age of 3 and the environment our children spend time in can greatly impact their development. For many working parents in Vermont’s small communities, home-based child care is the only option. Through the Vermont Birth to Three (VB3) initiative, we are working to improve the quality of home-based child care in Vermont.
When we launched VB3 in 2011, only 14 percent of registered home-based providers were participating in Vermont’s quality rating system, STARS (Step Ahead Recognition System). At the end of 2012, more than 30 percent were participating. Through VB3, providers learn from mentors how even little program changes, like adding circle time each morning, bringing books to life with hands-on art projects, and reorganizing a play space to encourage exploration can make a huge difference to the children. These home-based providers are not simply watching our children, they are teaching and laying an important foundation for their future success and development in life.
The time is right
These initiatives are demonstration projects and cannot solve all the challenges associated with early childhood development in Vermont. Yet they show that change is possible and positive results are attainable. To truly transform our early care and education system and create sustainable, thriving communities in Vermont, we need to make the push to develop the policy and funding for more strategic investments in our children.
If we know these early investments will save the state money, lead to positive outcomes for our children, contribute to K-12 success, and develop a strong, healthy workforce, we must push for them.
To borrow a line from a recent gathering of Vermont’s early childhood community, “Let us realize the promise of every child in Vermont.”
