Mission: Readiness, a nonprofit organization made up more than 350 retired military senior officers who are asking state and federal lawmakers to create policies that will help youth prepare for employment and military service, released a report showing how high-quality early learning programs could lead to 2 million more high school graduates and $150 billion in economic benefits. With 75% of all young Americans ineligible to join the military, largely as a result of not having a high school diploma or being able to score high enough on the military’s entrance exam to be allowed to serve, Mission: Readiness recognizes the economic and national security benefits of high-quality early learning settings.
“Expanding access to quality pre-k is the smartest thing we can do, right now, to get more children on track for academic success,” said General Victor E. “Gene” Renuart, Jr., USAF-Ret.
Members of Mission: Readiness, along with Mississippi State Senator Bryce Wiggins (R-MS, 52nd District) spoke today at a press conference for the release of the national report, A Commitment to Pre-Kindergarten is a Commitment to National Security, which focuses largely on how high-quality early childhood education saves billions while strengthening our military and our nation. "It's important to note that this truly is a bipartisan issue that gets support from all sectors of society," said Senator Brice Wiggins, who was the lead sponsor of legislation recently signed into law by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant to create state-funded pre-K for the first time in the state's history. "We made a bold and budget-wise commitment to quality pre-K for the simple reason that it's the one of the best things we can do to give our kids the foundation they need for academic success and meet the future needs of our employers as well."
Events from Mission: Readiness took place simultaneously today in seven other states, California, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada and Ohio.
