Today, Maine’s children are at a higher risk of living in poverty than they were a year ago. That is one of the troubling statistics highlighted in the Maine Children’s Alliance’s annual Kids Count report released last month. Nearly one in every four children in our state under age 5 lives in poverty ”“ that’s 4,000 more children in poverty than in the previous year.
Even as more children are living in poverty, fewer kids are receiving the assistance they need. Because of Gov. Paul LePage’s 60-month lifetime limit on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, 8,000 children lost the assistance their families were receiving. TANF helps parents keep a roof over their children’s heads and put food on the table. Denying this help to 8,000 children is cruel and does nothing to eliminate their need. The governor’s policy is short-sighted, and does not recognize that families are still struggling to get back on their feet in the wake of the Great Recession.
While we may not be able to reverse the governor’s harmful policy, we can do something to help all Maine children, especially those whose families are struggling.
The best way we can positively impact the future of all Maine’s children is to ensure access to quality early education.
Right now, only 60 percent of school districts in Maine offer a pre-K program, and only one-third of 4-year-olds in Maine are enrolled in a public pre-K program.
We can do better.
I have long been a supporter of increasing access to quality early education. It’s why I fought to restore funding to Head Start in Maine, and why I’m supporting a bill to create a framework to provide universal, voluntary pre-K in all school districts in Maine by the 2017-18 school year.
Starting a child’s education on a strong foundation prior to kindergarten is the key to establishing their future learning, and by ensuring all children have access to quality early education, we will provide a strong foundation for our children, and our state, to grow.
National studies have shown that every dollar invested in high-quality early childhood education yields up to $16 in positive economic impact. Investing in early childhood education also has proven to reduce incarceration rates, public assistance, remedial education, and other social costs.
It’s why a group of law enforcement officials, from the administrator of the Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset to our own Sheriff Maurice Ouellette of York County, are working together to talk about the importance of investing in early education. As they see it, we can spend the money now ensuring all children have access to a strong pre-school program, or we can spend the money later putting people in prison.
By investing in our kids, we are investing in our future, and we all know that Maine children deserve the best future we can provide for them.
Universal, voluntary pre-K will ensure every child in Maine will have the opportunity to reach their full potential. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children have the tools they need to grow up and be successful. They are counting on us. Let’s not let them down.
— Sen. John Tuttle represents Senate District 3, which includes Alfred, Limington, Lyman, Sanford, Springvale and Waterboro. He is the Senate chairman of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and also serves on the Judiciary Committee. He holds weekly office hours on Sundays from 1-3 p.m. at his home, 176 Cottage St. in Sanford.
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