As many of you know, E3 advocated for nearly three years for the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission(JLARC) to conduct a study on early childhood. Why did we advocate for this study? In 2011, many policymakers, business leaders and stakeholders were asking questions about how Virginia was currently spending dollars in this space and how effective were the programs. And furthermore, they were interested in learning best practices from other states. We were pleased to see that the General Assembly directed JLARC in 2016 to review state-supported early childhood and development programs to determine the best strategy for future investments in early education. Click here— to learn more about JLARC’s recommendations and view the following:
- Summary
- Report
- Recommendations
- Program Inventory
Just in case you missed a few of the articles or editorials from around the state, check out E3’s News & Media page.
We hope that the JLARC recommendations and data will be used to drive investments more strategically in early education. It is time to move away from piecemeal initiatives to strategic and data-driven approaches that begin with a well-aligned preschool to elementary system that offers the most -promising strategy that boosts the quality of instruction, strengthens teacher-child interactions and closes the gap in school readiness skills.
Virginia has an opportunity to become a national leader in innovation and impact for Virginia’s children.
Lisa Howard, President & CEO