School readiness takes more than a weekend

This weekend, families across the commonwealth will take advantage of the state's annual sales tax holiday to purchase back-to-school supplies for their children. Yes, this is a much-appreciated chance for parents to save some money and also generate excitement about the first day of school, which is just around the corner.

But there's so much more to being ready for school — especially kindergarten — than walking into the classroom with a new outfit and backpack. In fact, one in five children in Virginia will enter their kindergarten classroom without the necessary skills to succeed in this structured learning environment.

To focus attention on the importance of providing the next generation with a smart beginning in the early years, from birth to age 5, Gov. Bob McDonnell has proclaimed August as School Readiness Month in Virginia.

Learning begins at birth, and school readiness takes the first five years of life — not just a weekend of tax-free purchases. When young children are provided with stimulating settings and enriching experiences in the early years, they will start kindergarten ready to learn and succeed. This is a solid foundation to build a smarter work force for the future of our great commonwealth and well worth the investment of resources in our communities.

School readiness initiatives are gaining momentum in other areas of the United States, in addition to advancements in the Old Dominion. Some recent highlights include:

• On June 29, 2011, Michigan's governor signed an executive order creating the Michigan Office of Great Start within the state Department of Education, thereby consolidating and aligning numerous early childhood programs and resources into a single office. This will allow greater coordination and focus on early childhood, combined with a broader emphasis on quality.

• A Superior Court judge in North Carolina recently issued the first U.S. court ruling explicitly citing the crucial role of early education in the first five years of a child's development, acknowledging what decades of scientific research have shown regarding the inarguable importance of quality developmental experiences early in life.

• A study published by Science in June 2011 highlighted the 25-year impact of a pre-K through third-grade program in Chicago. In essence, the study found that children who were enrolled in the Chicago Parent-Child Centers — a program designed to extend from pre-K through third grade in the inner city's public schools — were doing better at age 28 than a control group of their peers who did not participate in a structured early learning setting. In short, the children-now-adults in the Chicago program stayed in school longer, completed high school at higher rates, graduated from high school on time at higher rates, had a higher socio-economic status and had a job with higher prestige.

• At the end of July 2011, more than 200 business executives and civic leaders from many states, including a delegation from Virginia, attended the National Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment held in Boston. I'm proud to report that Virginia was called out for having more than 700 business leaders not only engaged in the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation's statewide Smart Beginnings network but also investing in programs to advance early learning opportunities for today's preschoolers, who are tomorrow's work force.

In honor of School Readiness Month, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation has posted 10 tips for school readiness on its website, www.smartbeginnings.org. These tips will help families prepare their children for the start of a new school year, whether the child is entering a daycare, preschool or elementary classroom setting.

Statewide retailers will be ready for Virginia's sales-tax-free shopping weekend. But let's make sure that our youngest citizens are really ready when they step into the classroom. Their future — as well as our state's economic prosperity — depends on it!