When Sen. Bob Dixon addressed the Mayor’s Commission for Children at its Nov. 14, 2017 meeting, he spoke of his initiatives within the state Senate to pass enabling legislation to allow the Springfield municipality to pass funding for early childhood programs. Sen. Dixon and Rep. Crystal Quade will once again introduce legislation in the 2018 Missouri legislative session to give Springfield that opportunity, though in previous attempts, it has been filibustered in the Senate by the opposition.
Though Sen. Dixon has the deepest respect for his colleagues, he can’t help but feel frustrated by the lack of support for early childhood education, when, to him, funding the education of our youngest citizens seems like a no-brainer.
It does to us, too, says Brigitte Marrs, executive director of the Mayor’s Commission for children.
Though there are a few reasons his fellow senators offer to oppose this initiative–such as an outright refusal to tax for anything (though this bill is not a proposition to tax, but a proposition for our community to have the right to create tax legislation), or simply the disbelief that investing in early childhood education reaps long-term benefits–Commissioni members are confident we have a rebuttal.
It is much more expensive to care for and rehabilitate members of our society later through welfare programs, treatment, or in some cases, incarceration, rather than providing them with resources like education and access to health care early in life, which would decrease exponentially their chances of needing such interventions later.
For every dollar spent on early childhood education, the community can expect $10 return on its investment, because education is shown time and time again to be the most effective way to prevent crime and increase mobility in society.
If a child is properly educated starting in the beginning of life, he or she has less of a chance of falling behind and/or dropping out. Fewer years repeated and fewer dropouts result not only in more motivated and successful students, allowing those students to continue attaining higher education. More education means better job opportunities, and therefore higher income. Higher income results in more contributions back in income taxes and more spending in the open economy at local businesses and entertainment venues (which also means more contributions through sales taxes).
This is especially important when we consider our low-income and minority population because they are most affected by lack of access to quality education, health care, child care and other resources vital to success and achievement. For example, in our 2016 Kindergarten Readiness Study, we found that on average, students who qualify for free and reduced lunch students in Springfield Public Schools were evaluated as not ready for kindergarten almost two times as often as other students.
Unfortunately, students eligible for free and reduced lunch account for 61 percent of elementary students attending Springfield Public Schools, meaning many of our students in this community are starting school unprepared and are without sufficient resources to ensure success.
The good news is we have the power to change this. By using our voices in the community, we can vote in favor of early childhood education and choose to put our money not only where it matters, but where it is economically wise to do so. Though the bill Sen. Dixon has championed is not one that will pass a tax, it will give us the ability to determine our own destiny by allowing us to decide to pass a tax.
Contact Sen. Dixon and Rep. Quade and tell them you are not ready to give up on this legislation. Contact your other local legislators and tell them you favor this bill and you support focusing on early childhood to curb systemic problems, boost our economy, and reduce poverty. Then, hold them accountable.
Let’s do ourselves and all of our children in our community a favor by giving them every possible opportunity to be successful, regardless of socioeconomic status.
Tina Haberberger is a Drury University student interning with the Mayor’s Commission for Children. Contact the commission’s executive director, Brigitte Marrs, at bmarrs@springfieldmo.gov or 417-864-1656.
