Alabama lawmakers came face to face with what may have been their youngest lobbying group yet this past week.Dozens of 4-year-olds appeared at the Statehouse in support of Gov. Riley’s plan to add $20 million to funding for the pre-Kindergarten program for 4-year-olds, and we hope the impact of their visit works.
A House education budget committee slashed Riley’s proposal in half, but Riley continued fighting for the increase with help from these little lobbyists.
The group of 4-year-olds was meant to remind lawmakers what they should be fighting for, too. And it is hoped that when the Education Budget is final, they will have remembered their young constituency and restored the $10 million needed to expand the program further across this state.
Pre-k is critical to the success, not only of these 4-year-olds, but to the success of this state in the years to come. The playing field must level in education, and children in the pre-K age group should be the beneficiaries.
Reaching and teaching them at an early age increases their likelihood of becoming successful learners as they progress through school. That produces a better educated Alabama and that, in turn, produces a better educated workforce.
The benefits are real, and lawmakers ought to recognize that and put this pre-K funding at the top of the education budget priority list.
