By Early childhood education’s goals are multifaceted and seek to promote children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. The success of that education is critical to the region’s economic longevity.
Melanie Johnson, president and CEO of Collaborative for Children, moderated the Aug. 6 forum, ‘Early Childhood Education Forum Support, Resources, and Access,’ hosted by The Greater Houston Partnership.
Speakers included the following:
- Claudia Aguirre, president & CEO, BakerRipley
- Amanda McMillian, president & CEO, United Way of Greater Houston
- Cary Wright, CEO, Good Reason Houston
Jonson said recent research indicates that high-quality early childhood education can have long-lasting positive effects:
- Better childhood academic achievement
- Superior socio-emotional skills
- Greater future success in school and life after graduation
“For those of you who don’t know, the kindergarten readiness assessment is mostly literacy, which is the most important factor to improving your odds at third-grade literacy,” Johnson said.
McMillan noted that the problem is one of scarcity of access and a lack of qualified teachers and said that many Pre-K facilities simply cannot meet the current demand.
“First of all, there’s just not enough high quality, accessible early childhood education. There needs to be more for all of us who are out in the space to do it. There need to be multiple centers and opportunities for children.” McMillan said.
The panel of experts shared that investing in early childhood education is widely recognized as a critical component for promoting equity, reducing achievement gaps, and ensuring the well-being of children and families.
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