Pre-k paying off, experts say

According to experts, pre-kindergarten, throughout Georgia and the nation, has succeeded in giving children a head start in education and life skills. Regina Bowie, a public pre-k teacher in Fulton County, states that after a couple months, parents will see "a totally different child".

Since the inception of the pre-k program, approximately 1.2 million 4-year-olds have enrolled at a total cost of 4.5 million dollars. In the state of Georgia, 84,000 younglings attended 3,800 public and private pre-k classes. However, a downside follows this enormously positive statistic. Approximate fifty-seven percent of 4-year-olds come from families on government assistance. 

Last year, Georgia was ranked on of five in the nation for the best pre-k program, receiving a rating of 10, the maximum score, from the National Institute for Early Education Research. However, costly cuts have taken a toll on the rating as well as increased the desire for data on the program's productivity.

On a national scale, high-quality pre-k has proven to have a beneficial long-term effect on students. Females who have attended pre-k are more prone to finishing high school and college while males are less likely to depend on government social services and be less involved in crime.

This report is incredibly important because education has become integral to society. With the job employment rates steadily decreasing, and jobs requiring some form of degree, education has become a necessity to function in society. And even more disturbing, child literacy and reading has declined over the past decade, thus rendering the pre-kindergarten program a need. Enrolling 4-year-olds in the pre-k program will provide a rudimentary, yet quality education that will help them learn more efficiently as they grow older.

The pre-k program is similar to playing instruments at a young age. For example, studies have shown that playing an instrument, a violin perhaps, is easier to play and understand at a younger age. Like the pre-k program, playing an instrument at a young age will provide the basics that will blossom when the child develops. Adults that try to learn how to play an instrument will find it harder to master, mainly because they lack the idiosyncrasy,which is apparent in kids, that allows them to learn the most basic of skills, similar to an adult trying to learn basic learning skills at an older age.