Launch of Nationwide Preschool Campaign Urges Americans: Stand Up for Access to Quality Preschool

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/-- "Preschool Nation," a national communications advocacy platform that showcases the societal benefits of quality early childhood education for young children, families, communities and businesses across America, will launch today athttp://www.PreschoolNation.org .

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131021/DC99981LOGO )

Through the vehicle of a collaborative website, Preschool Nation is a one-stop shop that allows families, business leaders, early education teachers and researchers, policymakers and community members from around the country to tell compelling stories, share resources and research and advocate for increased early education opportunities for more children.

Preschool Nation partners say the campaign is right on time. Individual states have been increasing their Pre-K efforts and the research in support of quality early education has been overwhelming. Economists have found that quality early childhood education offers one of the highest returns on any public investment—more than $7 for every dollar spent.

"If you think about this in terms of investments— the money you are putting in early on in your life— you will eventually get higher economic returns," said Sergio Urzua, assistant professor of economics at the University of Maryland. Urzua received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago, where he studied under renowned economist and Nobel Laureate James Heckman. "That logic, which is fundamental in economics, is behind why we should be investing in early education," Urzua said. In addition, research from the RAND Corporation show that for every $1 spent in quality preschool, $2 is saved in reduced special education needs, crime prevention and other costs.

"A preschool nation is one in which every child has full opportunity to succeed in school regardless of their zip code, ethnic background or immigration status," said W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). "Preschool is the leading edge of school reform. If every child has the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to succeed, we will transform kindergarten, first grade, second grade all the way on up, particularly for those children who most often struggle and fall behind."

Virginia Wate, a Los Angeles resident and mother of a preschooler, agrees. "To me, a Preschool Nation is a nation that accepts responsibility for the importance of education," Wate said. "I feel like (preschool) really builds self-esteem, and all kids should be able to enter kindergarten and feel like they know just as much as their peers." 

Preschool Nation is spearheaded by Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP), a leading nonprofit organization funding quality preschool services to about 11,000 four-year-old children in Los Angeles County each year. 

"This campaign gives us an opportunity to create an alliance and an advocacy platform to maximize our resources and leverage every local, state and national resources to ensure that every child can have access to a quality early education experience," said Celia C. Ayala, chief executive officer of LAUP.

The Preschool Nation campaign is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations, business leaders and government officials from around the nation including:

Acelero Learning	National Association for the Education of Young Children Research/ NAEYC
Alliance for a Better Community ABC	National Institute for Early Education Research/NIEER
Atlas Family Foundation	Mind Research Institute
AVANCE SA	Mission: Readiness - Military Leaders for Kids
Children Now	Pre-K 4 SA
Early Edge California	SEIU Local 99/Education Workers United
Faith for Change	Southeast Cities Early Care and Education Taskforce
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids	STUDENT S.W.A.G.
First 5 LA	The Childrens Trust
Girls Tech	UCLA/RAND Prevention Research Center
JumpStart Inc.	Valley Industry and Commerce Association/VICA
Kaplan Early Learning Company
Lakeshore Learning Company
Los Angeles Universal Preschool
Miami Childrens Initiative

For more information on Preschool Nation, visit http://www.preschoolnation.org .  To share your own story, contact us at stories@preschoolnation.org.

Follow Preschool Nation at http://facebook.com/PreschoolNation and  http://twitter.com/PreschoolNation

About LAUP: Los Angeles Universal Preschool is a nonprofit network of more than 300 preschool sites. It was established to fund free or low-cost quality preschool education to four-year-old children of Los Angeles County. LAUP has raised the level of quality preschool programs by advancing teacher training, enriching curricula and offering a safe and nurturing environment for more than 70,000 preschoolers since 2005.  LAUP is funded in part by First 5 LA. http://www.laup.net

SOURCE Los Angeles Universal Preschool