Original Source | West Linn Tidings
By Senator Richard Devlin, Thursday July 15, 2010

Too many children start school behind their peers, and many never catch up.

Research has shown gaps in vocabulary and language proficiency between children from low-income families and their more affluent peers. We know that there is a critical opportunity during the first five years of life to positively affect a child's chance at success. These pieces of evidence inform our strategy for closing the achievement gap through high-quality early education programs such as Oregon Pre-Kindergarten (OPK) and Early Head Start. These programs provide emotionally supportive and language-rich environments that positively support the development of a child's brain. From birth to age five, Early Head Start and Pre-Kindergarten in Oregon provide comprehensive developmental programs that integrate education with other important components such as child health, nutrition, mental health, parent education and family support.

For many years, Oregon has been a national leader in improving the quality and number of children reached with early childhood care and educational services. This year, Oregon was chosen as one of six states by the National Governors' Association to help pioneer an early childhood education system, allowing us to reach the goal of ensuring that every child who participates in these programs is ready for school. Oregon has earned its reputation of being at the forefront of innovation in early childhood education, but this additional support from national experts will help the state continue to improve the delivery of high-quality learning opportunities for our children.

Over the last two regular sessions and the 2010 supplemental session, the Legislature has maintained its commitment to improving school readiness by protecting early childhood education. In 2007, the Legislature increased the state's commitment to Head Start by $39 million, providing 3,200 additional children access to the program. Last year, despite a precipitous drop in state revenues, I fought to maintain critical investments in OPK, helping 6,500 3 to 4 year olds prepare for success in school. Last session, we also made an investment in comprehensive services for Oregon is most at-risk infants, toddlers and their families by allocating an additional $1 million to Early-Head Start.

These investments are important to our state's future. While recent revenue shortfalls will force us to make decisions about how to allocate scarce resources, protecting our most vulnerable continues to be one of my top priorities. Projected cuts of $5.1 million to OPK could reduce the number of children served from 66.7 percent to 63.5 percent of the eligible population, and Early-Head Start could see a similar reduction. I am committed to restoring funding to these programs as we recover from this recession. The short- and long-term effects of these programs are too great to take a step backwards and we cannot sacrifice the long-term prosperity of our state for short-term reactions to this crisis.

Finally, investments in early childhood education are sound investments. The Children's Institute estimates a minimum return of $4 for every $1 dollar invested in OPK. Teachers can immediately tell when students have attended a high-quality preschool program like OPK. The students that attend Early Head Start and OPK are less likely to need remedial and special education programs when they enter the K-12 system. Longer term benefits include lower crime rates, higher levels of employment and income, and reduced reliance on social services. The Oregon Legislation must continue to build on its efforts to expand and provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs. Improving the social, emotional and physical health of young children through these programs will greatly help us close the achievement gap and set the course for a stronger economy and community in Oregon.

Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin, Tualatin, represents Oregon Senate District 19, which includes Lake Oswego, West Linn and portions of Southwest Portland.