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Written on: April 22nd, 2013 in Education
Guest post by Jennifer Ranji, Secretary for the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
The most important investments we make as a society are those that help our children get off to a strong start in life. That’s why we’ve stepped up our focus in this area, leveraging state and federal investments here in Delaware. We are in the middle of a great story – a story about giving our state’s children a great start in school and in life, but we still have a lot of work to do.
We have been hard at work over the last couple years supporting enhanced outcomes for our earliest learners, including providing a significant increase in early childhood funding. Just this week we laid out our roadmap. Delaware’s early childhood strategic plan was recently launched and is available online. Entitled Sustaining Early Success, the plan focuses on creating and sustaining a comprehensive early childhood system for all Delaware children and their families, through four strategic goals:
Our state must continue to link these elements together to set each child on a course toward lifelong success. Ultimately, the payoff benefits children, their families, employers, teachers and taxpayers. It affects every aspect of our lives, from healthier and safer communities to a stronger tax base and more qualified workforce. More specifically, students who have attended quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, ultimately providing Delaware with a stronger workforce and allowing us to compete more effectively in a global economy.
Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman of the University of Chicago makes the case for such an investment saying, “Early childhood investments of high quality have lasting effects…. In the long run, significant improvements in the skill levels of American workers, especially workers not attending college, are unlikely without substantial improvements in the arrangements that foster early learning. We cannot afford to postpone investing in children until they become adults, nor can we wait until they reach school age — a time when it may be too late to intervene.”
Our state benefits from a committed community of advocates for early childhood education. Every citizen has a stake in the success of these efforts, and it’s time now for us to expand our base of advocates to include each of you. Going forward, we need to do what Delaware often prides itself on doing best – driving change through partnership and collaboration.
The evidence is irrefutable, the path forward is clear and the stakes are profoundly important. This is the single most important investment we can make for a better future. We are in the middle of a great story – and it’s time to write the next chapter. We can do it, and with your help, together we will sustain early success in early childhood education.
Written on: April 2nd, 2013 in Effective & Efficient Government
It has been remarkable to be engaged in the fast-moving transformation of public opinion on the issue of marriage equality – momentum that can be attributed, in large part, to our children. Much as the civil rights and women’s liberation movements served as a call-to-action for young adults of the 60s and 70s, debating issues like marriage equality and gender identity will become defining moments in their lifetime. And yet, for many of them, the current debate leaves them perplexed – rightfully so.
Two years ago, I was proud to sign landmark civil union legislation into law, making Delaware one of only a handful of states to allow same-sex civil unions and fully recognize same-sex relationships. Over 600 people celebrated together at what was described as one of the most emotional bill signings in forty years. Yet, when I got home and told my two teenage children about the event, they couldn’t believe it wasn’t already the law.
The concept of discrimination is something our children first learn about in history class. They learn that, decades ago, someone’s gender or skin color had an impact on where a person could learn, work or even sit on a bus. They learn that young people, just like them, chose to fight against discrimination and won. As a result, our young people today grow up learning tolerance, acceptance and inclusion – important lessons as we progress as a society.
Yet, as we anticipate legislation here in Delaware and hear debates happening across the country regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage, it is evident discrimination still exists. We must use the momentum and the evidence of growing support on this subject to take another historic step toward true equality. Together, we will write the next chapter in history and prove, once again, that in Delaware, justice and equality move one way – forward.
This blog was originally published on The Huffington Post
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