A Message From Gina M. Raimondo: Early Childhood Education

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by Governor Gina M. Raimondo

I spend a lot of my time talking to CEOs and business owners from other states, trying to convince them to come to Rhode Island. We talk about the corporate income tax and economic development incentives, but inevitably, they also want to know about the quality of life in our state. They ask: “What’s it like to be a Rhode Islander? How are the schools? If I move my family to Glocester, or Bristol, or Hopkinton, what will our lives be like?”

That’s one of the many reasons that improving education is a key priority for my administration. Businesses need to know they can grow in our state- they can stay here for a long time and access a big, local pool of skilled workers for generations.

My team and I have been working hard to make sure that education in Rhode Island gives our kids the skills they need for jobs that pay. Earlier this year, I unveiled a plan to offer computer science in all public schools by December 2017. And we’re continuing to offer college classes to high school students through the Prepare RI program. But we can do more.

It’s never too early to give our youngest learners opportunities to thrive. I’ll never forget how much my own kids flourished because of preschool and full-day kindergarten. And as Governor, I believe that every Rhode Island kid deserves these same opportunities.

In April, I hosted the Governor’s Summit on Early Education and Care to talk about how we can better prepare our youngest learners. I brought together leaders from state government, education and the non-profit sector and presented my vision for our kids’ future.

Last year, my budget made all-day kindergarten universal across our state. This year, I proposed to boost funding for pre-kindergarten options by $1.2 million to keep the momentum going. With a total investment of $5.2 million would allow the Rhode Island Department of Education to add 12 sites this fall to the Rhode Island pre-kindergarten program, bringing the total number of sites to 29 and making the 2016-17 pre-kindergarten program the largest ever.

Early education is effective in ensuring that students achieve one of the most important developmental milestones: learning to read. Once students learn to read by the end of 3rd grade, they can start using reading to learn in other subjects, like math and science. And according to KIDS COUNT, they are less likely to have behavioral and social problems and more likely to graduate from high school.

Early education matters, and not just for students or parents. Kids who are learning to read today will one day become part of the workforce. We can either pay now or pay later- we must invest in our kids early to save later. If Rhode Island wants to be competitive and create a large pool of skilled workers for years to come, we must invest in early education now.

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Avatar About the Author: The Rhode Island Small Business Journal is a printed monthly magazine and an online resource for the aspiring and start-up entrepreneur and small business owner.

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