Did you know thousands of Virginia’s children are totally unprepared for Kindergarten? According to education experts, one in five Virginia kids enters Kindergarten unprepared. Hardly any parents think it’s their child.

Research has clearly shown the importance of a child’s preparedness for school. Children who start out behind often stay behind. Children who arrive at Kindergarten healthy and ready to succeed have more positive educational experiences and develop a greater love for learning which can open greater opportunities later in life.

When you think of kids that are unprepared for kindergarten, you probably assume it’s mostly lower income families. Think again: 49% of all kids who do not know their ABC’s at the start of kindergarten come from middle and upper income families. Obviously, this is an equal opportunity problem. Precisely the reason we must work to improve our early childhood system.

The average wage for child care teachers in South Hampton Roads is $8.00 per hour. These are the people who are helping mold our children’s minds and prepare them for the future at the most critical time in their development. Teachers deserve better as do our children.

Think about this fact: 90% of a child’s brain development occurs by the age of five. What better reason is there to have competent and properly compensated people responsible for the care of our young children? Yet we invest only 4% of our state’s education budget in that critical period of a child’s life. We need to do more. Virginia, unlike some other states, is under-funded when it comes to early childhood education, showing that other investments are currently taking priority.

There is an economic benefit to investing in early education. Research shows that every dollar spent on early education delivers a $7 return on the investment, leading to fewer dropouts, less crime and a better work force. Clearly good early childhood education is something that has far reaching results. States like North Carolina and Minnesota long ago allocated millions to early childhood education. It’s time for Virginia to do the same.

You are in a position to help fix the problem by joining others to make early childhood education a top priority in Virginia. We must invest more in our youngest citizens. This topic is being addressed by business, political and educational leaders throughout the Commonwealth with the goal of increasing state funding for early childhood education. What is more important than the education and future of our young children? We hope we can count on you to support this important initiative. Visit www.smartbeginningsshr.org to see how you can become a champion for children.