By: Scott Larson
slarson@kcautv.com
Does more education early on make a difference down the road? Many experts along with the president say yes, but some of the money used to fund pre-schools could dry up if congress doesn't avoid budget cuts at the end of February.
President Obama proposed some significant increases for pre-school funding in his State of the Union Address. Currently, if you make 130% of the poverty line or less in income, you can acquire funding. But the president is now looking to raise that ceiling to 200% of the poverty line bringing more kids into pre-school classrooms. Teachers and administrative officials we spoke with say that any kind of increase in funding is welcome.
Pre-school is a time for arts and crafts, dancing, and having fun...but it's also a time to develop – both academically and socially. Building Blocks Pre-School Director Kristan Geary says, "If you talk to a kindergarten teacher, my guess would be that they're going to be able to tell you within the first couple days of school a child that has been in pre-school and a child that has not."
However, not every family can send their children to pre-school and many who do rely on outside funding. In fact, about two hundred low income families in Sioux City receive funds to enroll their kids in pre-school.
With looming budget cuts, President Obama is pushing hard to increase funding for pre-schools and programs like Head Start, which encourage early-childhood learning for ages four and under.
Something that Sioux City Pre–School Administrator, Kim Burrack, says would be of great help. "We use those funds to offer professional development. We also use those funds to hire certified teachers. We would be able to increase the number of students that we serve and add additional classrooms."
Kim says that while pre–school works well in acclimating kids to kindergarten, it's also important in setting up kids for success. "Not only for when they enter in kindergarten are they more prepared and ready to learn and have those skills they need. But later on in life they have shown that students, those students actually benefit later on in life with lower incarceration rates and better wages overall."
