Economic development and education are intrinsically linked; one is not successful without the other. Public education relies on tax dollars produced by a good economy, while economic growth cannot occur without a strong, well-educated workforce. As both are dependent upon one another, both must be nurtured and balanced in order to have a prosperous Iowa.
Early-childhood development creates millions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for Iowans. It is also key to the preparation of a quality workforce. According to a study by Rolnick and Grunewald of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, every dollar invested in high-quality early-childhood development saves the public $13 for special-needs education, criminal justice, and welfare. There is no better investment than in education, particularly early-childhood education.
The cost, quality, and availability of Iowa early-childhood-development programming is diverse, ranging from high-quality public and private programs to those options that are less than optimal. The state has begun addressing this issue by introducing a quality rating system; however, early-childhood education is not evaluated in a statewide systematic way.
What can be done? Who should do what? The following is a proposal.
The Iowa Empowerment Board was chartered in 1998 with the mission to prepare all children for school by the age of five. The empowerment concept of local control and accountability has been widely successful, offering each empowerment area the opportunity to create a unique vision of early-childhood development for their community. In my opinion, the Empowerment Board and its culture of local public and private partnerships is the ideal home for initiating a Blue Ribbon Task Force to investigate the integration of early-childhood education and economic development. Secondly, a seamless early-childhood education system that focuses on quality must be funded using public and private resources.
The idea of public and private partnerships in early-childhood programming is not unique; what is unique is our effort to re-frame childcare/pre-school as a partner in economic development.
Senator Maggie Tinsman represents Senate District 41 in Scott County. Senator Tinsman is co-chair of the Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
Early-childhood development creates millions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for Iowans. It is also key to the preparation of a quality workforce. According to a study by Rolnick and Grunewald of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, every dollar invested in high-quality early-childhood development saves the public $13 for special-needs education, criminal justice, and welfare. There is no better investment than in education, particularly early-childhood education.
The cost, quality, and availability of Iowa early-childhood-development programming is diverse, ranging from high-quality public and private programs to those options that are less than optimal. The state has begun addressing this issue by introducing a quality rating system; however, early-childhood education is not evaluated in a statewide systematic way.
What can be done? Who should do what? The following is a proposal.
The Iowa Empowerment Board was chartered in 1998 with the mission to prepare all children for school by the age of five. The empowerment concept of local control and accountability has been widely successful, offering each empowerment area the opportunity to create a unique vision of early-childhood development for their community. In my opinion, the Empowerment Board and its culture of local public and private partnerships is the ideal home for initiating a Blue Ribbon Task Force to investigate the integration of early-childhood education and economic development. Secondly, a seamless early-childhood education system that focuses on quality must be funded using public and private resources.
The idea of public and private partnerships in early-childhood programming is not unique; what is unique is our effort to re-frame childcare/pre-school as a partner in economic development.
Senator Maggie Tinsman represents Senate District 41 in Scott County. Senator Tinsman is co-chair of the Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
