Our success depends on all early learners

The economic horizon for today’s kindergartners is clear — by the time they complete high school, seven out of every 10 jobs will require some type of higher education. To grow and prosper economically as a state, we are dependent upon students who are equipped with the requisite skills of literacy to successfully pursue college and careers. The fruitful journey toward that horizon can begin today with an option of a funded full day of learning extended to our kindergartners.

Socially, full-day kindergarten holds the promise of breaking the cycle of imprisonment that illiteracy creates.The costs to incarcerate an individual on an annual basis are exponential compared to the costs to educate a student. Many of those incarcerated today are illiterate or struggling readers, and some estimate that up to 85 percent of juvenile offenders have problems in reading.

It is a moral imperative that we embrace a new paradigm toward a legacy of literacy. The return on investment for full-day kindergarten, if we are patient, will reap rich dividends for the enduring prosperity of our state. We are wise to recognize all of our students as assets, rather than liabilities, and afford them the prospect to grow in their literacy development at the earliest possible opportunities. Learning to read during the currently mandated half day of kindergarten should not be left to chance. Funding full-day kindergarten provides a vital opportunity for a literate society because learning to read is simply not optional if we are to thrive as an engaged citizenry and democracy.

The case is strong that kindergarten should be a voluntary full-day grade in Arizona. State funding to support fullday kindergarten eliminates the dependency on voter-approved overrides. That dependency gives rise to the potential that one group of first graders will be further ahead or further behind than their peers. Leaders from across the spectrum of community, business, philanthropic and education organizations have offered a chorus of support for state participation.

Learning to read is no longer elective as are the idyllic notions from the past of cookies, coloring and naps.

As a society, we are perpetually intertwined with the long-term academic, economic and social successes of our early learners. With full-day kindergarten, our children will reap the riches that literacy provides through an enriched mind and spirit.

Reginald “Reg” M. Ballantyne III, FACHE is president of the Arizona State Board of Education. Contact him at Reg.ballantyne3@gmail.com.