Council President Ginther Discusses Importance of Pre-K Expansion
Columbus City Council
President Andrew Ginther visited the Hilltop Preschool to announce an
aggressive goal of universal access to a high-quality prekindergarten program
for every Columbus child. Joined by Rhonda Johnson, the City’s Director of
Education, Tanny Crane, President & CEO of the Crane Group and longtime
early learning advocate, and Columbus City Schools Superintendent Dan Good,
Ginther said the city, the school district, and the community must to do more
to ensure every four year old has access to pre-k education services.
“Report after report shows us that a high-quality
prekindergarten changes lives,” said Ginther. “This can no longer be optional. It
can no longer be just a possibility. We must demand it for every child. Pre-k
is the great equalizer. It gives all
kids, rich or poor, black or white, the same starting place. We can delay no
longer. Our kids deserve this.”
Studies have shown that kids who participate in a
high-quality prekindergarten program not only come to kindergarten prepared,
but have higher high school graduation rates, earn more in adulthood, and are
self-sufficient. Local data also confirms that students who attend high-quality
pre-kindergarten are better prepared and more successful in a kindergarten
classroom. Assessments in Columbus City Schools have shown that 82% of kids who
attended a District-sponsored pre-kindergarten program came to kindergarten
prepared academically.
“Early learning can be the start of a life-long love affair
with reading and math, as children become familiar with books, new words and
ways to use language, numbers, and problem-solving strategies,” said Dr. Good.
“Yet, our District typically has a waiting list of more than 800 parents each
year who want to give their children a head start of school but can’t find
high-quality pre-K opportunities. We know the need is even greater than that.”
Ginther noted the progress made by the City on
pre-kindergarten expansion and thanked the District for also serving more kids.
Over the last two years, the City of Columbus has provided funding to expand
prekindergarten to almost 1000 kids through community-based providers and
through partnerships with Columbus City Schools.
This year, Columbus City Schools, with financial support from
the City of Columbus and the Ohio Department of Education, will expand it to an
additional 200 kids. That will bring the total to nearly 1000 in Columbus City
Schools pre-kindergarten classes, on top of additional seats in high-quality
non-District centers across the city.
“More and more cities and states are
implementing universal pre-kindergarten because it makes economic sense,” said
Crane. “Preparing our children for
success in school leading to careers is what our cities need. Boston, Seattle, Denver and New York City, to
name a few, have already moved forward, and right here in Ohio, sister cities
Cleveland and Cincinnati are both working towards universal pre-k. We have brought education advocates together
to collect data, learn best practices and are working on a community plan. Now
is the time.”