JFK Family Service Center early educators celebrate universal pre-kindergarten at State House ceremony
Charlestown Patriot-Bridge, January 22, 2009

Last week, early educators from The John F. Kennedy Family Service Center traveled to the State House to take part in the Rising Stars of Massachusetts celebration, an annual event sponsored by the Early Education for All Campaign to highlight the positive impact high-quality early education has on young children and families.

Thousands of brightly colored stars, hand-decorated by children from across the Commonwealth were on display during the ceremony. The John F. Kennedy Family Service Center is a recipient of the Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Pilot Classroom Quality grant, awarded to early education providers that meet quality requirements established by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Rising Stars of Massachusetts celebration,” said Sarah Siepierski, Program Director at the John F. Kennedy Family Service Center. “This is an important reminder about the impact high-quality early education has on the lives of young children and families. We work to ensure that children enter school ready and eager to learn, and those dividends continue to pay off years later.”

The event opened with a welcome song from the East Boston YMCA’s pre-kindergarteners, and included remarks from Massachusetts Education Secretary Paul Reville, Chair of the Committee for Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities State Senator Karen Spilka, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Education State Representative Patricia Haddad, and Department of Early Education and Care Board Chair Sharon Scott-Chandler. Advocates Mara Aspinall and Amy O’Leary of the Early Education for All Campaign spoke, as did UPK grant recipient, Doreen Dubique, Director of Associated Early Care and Education’s Castle Square site.

Stressing the Bay State’s national role in advancing early education, Secretary of Education Paul Reville said, “The greater nation is watching as this work, this star, rises in Massachusetts. The work that we do that reaches thousands of children in Massachusetts may ultimately reach millions in the U.S. and worldwide.” Despite the Commonwealth’s challenging economic circumstances, Reville pledged to “preserve the momentum we’ve built over time.” Early education, he said, is “probably the most powerful, highly leveraged investment we can make in a 21st century educational system.”

Research has shown that high-quality early education has a lifetime impact on young learners in terms of greater academic readiness, higher test scores, and improved social skills. Low-income children who participate in two years of high-quality early education programs are 40% less likely to need special education or be held back a grade, 30% more likely to graduate from high school, and twice as likely to go to college. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis estimates a 16% return for every dollar invested in high-quality early education.

“Early educators like those at The John F. Kennedy Family Service Center are on the front lines, making a real difference in the lives of young children and families,” said Amy O’Leary, Campaign Director of Early Education for All. “Their important work truly deserves to be celebrated. Even in challenging budgetary circumstances, high-quality early education is an important investment for our Commonwealth and our future.”

Massachusetts, which created the nation’s first consolidated Department of Early Education and Care, passed An Act Relative to Early Education and Care this summer, formally establishing the statewide Universal Pre-Kindergarten program. A recent evaluation by Abt Associates found evidence that UPK is working as planned, helping early education programs to achieve and sustain the high-quality that is critical for children’s success.

The Early Education for All Campaign is committed to ensuring:
- Voluntary, universally accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten for every child delivered through a mix of public and private programs;
- Voluntary, universally accessible, high-quality full school-day public kindergarten for every child;
- A statewide system of high-quality early education and care for all children, beginning at birth; and
- A statewide system to improve the training, education and compensation of the early childhood workforce.

The Early Education for All Campaign is an initiative of Strategies for Children Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the well-being of children and families through public policy, advocacy, and constituency building efforts. For more information, visit www.earlyeducationforall.org or call 617-330-7380.