Arkansas' Hispanic population is growing tremendously. In fact, comparing U.S. Census data from 1990 and 2000, the population grew by 337 percent. "With this growth comes a responsibility to ensure that everyone has opportunities to succeed," says Andre Guerrero, director of programs for language minority students for the Arkansas Department of Education. "That is why expanding and improving the quality of early education for Arkansas' rapidly growing Hispanic population should be among our highest educational priorities."

"One way to give our children the best possible start is to provide them with greater opportunities in the early childhood years through the PK-3 approach," says Guerrero in an article for the Arkansas Forum. "PK-3 programs raise achievement among children by offering quality early education programs that align the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade. Research has shown that the PK-3 years are the crucial years that provide the foundation for life-long learning. Aligning the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade -- contributes substantially to meaningful higher levels of school readiness and achievement."

"PK-3 is especially important for Hispanic children," Guerrero adds. "Hispanic children lag well behind their White counterparts on measures of school readiness when they start kindergarten and subsequently achieve at much lower levels in the primary grades. This pattern of lower academic achievement persists through high school and college. In the short term school districts that use the PK-3 approach will experience reduced special education and grade retention costs. In the long term, we will see decreased dropout rates, savings to the juvenile and adult justice systems, and increased earnings from participants."

"Studies show that PK-3 programs can improve the literacy and math skills of all children, and especially English language learners and low-income children," he states. "PK-3 strengthens children's skills to help them succeed. The PK-3 approach creates the continuity in teaching and curriculum that makes it more successful for Hispanic children to learn English. We must also encourage Hispanic college students to choose PK-3 education as a career. We must do our best to improve access to programs for Hispanic children by providing information to Hispanic parents and locating programs in neighborhoods with large concentrations of Hispanic families."

"To maintain a strong economy and become competitive internationally, we need to prepare all of our children to participate fully in today's society," Guerrero concludes. "We can do this if we start them off right with a quality PK-3 education. We must do all we can to help every child in Arkansas succeed. If we do not invest our resources in prekindergarten programs like PK--3 we will only be hurting the future of our state."

Expanding and improving the quality of early education for Arkansas' rapidly growing Hispanic population should be among our highest educational priorities.

One way to give our children the best possible start is to provide them with greater opportunities in the early childhood years through the PK-3 approach. PK-3 programs raise achievement among children by offering quality early education programs that align the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade.

PK-3 is especially important for Hispanic children. Studies show that PK-3 programs can improve the literacy and math skills of all children, and especially English language learners and low-income children.

We must do all we can to help every child in Arkansas succeed. We can do this by investing our resources in prekindergarten programs like PK-3.

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