SMART START: READYING YOUNG CHILDREN TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL

July 9, 2003

JULY 9, 2003 A few years ago, my husband and I decided we needed to move closer to one of our families. We chose his family here in Savannah, thinking of the added bonus of beaches, historic squares with beautiful homes and a mild winter climate (no more Midwestern snow storms.)

The picture we had mentally begun assembling of a blissful existence dimmed when a sister-in-law commented on the local schools. "Just come financially prepared to private school the children," she warned us. "The public schools here are terrible."

Some will take offense with that conclusion, no doubt. But no one can objectively look at our statewide academic performance data and say that Georgia's public school system is in good shape. Georgia's high school student performance on the national SAT last year ranked us dead last among the 50 states. And according to the Children's Defense Fund, currently more than 70 percent of Georgia's fourth graders are reading below grade level.

Evidence strongly suggests that students who fail to read on grade level by the 4th grade have a greater likelihood of dropping out of school and a lifetime of diminished success.

Underperforming 3rd and 4th graders don't suddenly become that way once they reach the age of 9 or 10. If children aren't entering kindergarten ready to succeed, they will begin to fall behind their peers almost immediately.

In a state like Georgia, with higher than average child poverty rates, there are a much higher percentage of children entering kindergarten who've never been read to much less exposed to any kind of learning environment. This makes the public school teacher's job an uphill battle from the get-go. It's little wonder why our statewide school performance is anemic.

So, enough hand wringing. What needs to be done to turn things around for Georgia's children? Focusing more of our time, effort and dollars into quality early-learning initiatives will do tremendous things for the entire educational system. And that's just what Smart Start Georgia is doing.

Established in 1999 as the Georgia Early Learning Initiative, Smart Start Georgia develops quality partnerships and commitments between childcare providers, government and business leaders to improve early learning environments for young children ages birth through five. Effective July 1, and thanks to the leadership efforts of our local legislative delegation and the United Way of the Coastal Empire, Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties were awarded $425,000 from Smart Start Georgia for an initiative called '93 Training and Technical Assistance.

Chatham County alone has over 460 regulated childcare providers. Based on Smart Start efforts in nearby Tift and Berrien counties, Chatham County can expect that much of our first year efforts will be limited to improving basic standards of hygiene and safety. In years two and three, greater strides will be made in elevating the learning environments and experiences taking place in those childcare settings.

All of us as parents, business and community leaders, educators and government officials have a vested interested in seeing Georgia's educational system and its product -- our children -- dramatically improved. Monies and efforts invested in early learning initiatives will pay off in big dividends for Georgia, especially for all of us seeking to create that picture perfect life together in Savannah.

JULIE T. GERBSCH
President&CEO
Parent & Child
Development Services, Inc.
Savannah 

â?? This article posted with permission from the Savannah Morning News.