To: The Massachusetts State House, The Massachusetts State Senate, and Governor Charlie Baker
Massachusetts Should Lead on Early Education
Massachusetts Fair Share
We pride ourselves on education in Massachusetts. It's unacceptable that tens of thousands of our kids are on waiting lists for preschool. We can do better.
As part of the new budget being drafted now, we urge Massachusetts lawmakers to dramatically expand access to high-quality early education.
As part of the new budget being drafted now, we urge Massachusetts lawmakers to dramatically expand access to high-quality early education.
Why is this important?
The research says that opportunity starts young. If you want to help students do better, you have to reach kids 5-years-old and younger. That's why states like Oklahoma make sure every child in the state gets access to a year of free preschool.
Here in Massachusetts, more than 40% of 3 to 4 year-olds, some 60,000 kids, aren’t in an early education program. Meanwhile, 30,000 children are on waiting lists for preschool slots. That's not only wrong; it's short-sighted because we know that for every $1 we spend on early education, we save $7 over time.
As legislators draft the budget for the next year, it's our chance to make early education a priority. If we want to expand access to preschool, we need to raise our voices now.
We'll be meeting with lawmakers on Feb. 4, and every signature we collect makes our case more powerful.
Here in Massachusetts, more than 40% of 3 to 4 year-olds, some 60,000 kids, aren’t in an early education program. Meanwhile, 30,000 children are on waiting lists for preschool slots. That's not only wrong; it's short-sighted because we know that for every $1 we spend on early education, we save $7 over time.
As legislators draft the budget for the next year, it's our chance to make early education a priority. If we want to expand access to preschool, we need to raise our voices now.
We'll be meeting with lawmakers on Feb. 4, and every signature we collect makes our case more powerful.