$20 million investment needed to maintain quality; avoid cuts
The evidence is overwhelming: Pre-K works! Research has shown that children who attend quality pre-kindergarten programs are better prepared for K-12 education and are more likely to read at grade level by the third grade. Kids who attend pre-K are more likely to graduate from high school, and less likely to be incarcerated. And those are just a few of the benefits.
But pre-K isn’t just great for kids – it’s great for Arkansas’s economy, too. ABC employs more than 3,500 educators in every county. It allows working families to keep working. An investment in quality pre-K also reduces government costs, prepares today’s kids for tomorrow’s jobs, and gives communities a nearly seven-fold return on their investment.
Funding for Arkansas Better Chance (ABC), the state’s pre-K program, has weathered the recession and maintained its funding while other services were cut or reduced. But ABC hasn’t had a permanent cost of living increase since 2008, and after years of flat funding, if funding for pre-K isn’t increased, services will have to be cut. It’s as simple as that. ABC needs an investment of $20 million to maintain high standards of quality and avoid cuts.
NOW is the time to speak up for Arkansas’s littlest learners. Call Governor Hutchinson at (501) 682-2345 TODAY and tell him to support increased investment in the Arkansas Better Chance program.