Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, October 6, 2005 It’s back to school time, but are Oregon’s kids really ready? In Columbia County, more than 50 percent of three- and four-year-olds living in poverty can’t get into Oregon’s public pre-Kindergarten program be- cause there isn’t enough room. And overall in Oregon, only 41 percent of preschool-aged chil- dren are enrolled in a pre-K program, public or private. Yet studies universally show that a quality preschool experience makes all the difference in fu- ture productivity and learning. In fact, according to educa- tors and local statistics, there is a direct correlation to children arriving at kindergarten unpre- pared and future poor academ- ic performance in school. Fur- ther still, more and more stud- ies demonstrate that not just any pre-K will do; a quality pre- school setting that addresses children’s social and emotional development, motor skills, cog- nitive skills and overall health is crucial to development. “Ready for School,” a group of business leaders, philanthro- pists and children’s advocates, has started a statewide dia- logue about this issue. According to Swati Adarkar, executive director of The Chil- dren’s Institute an independent nonprofit research and action group and one of the children’s groups that is part of the Ready for School initiative — Oregon students who start behind aca- demically tend to stay behind, which often leads to negative and expensive outcomes. “The benefits of early child- hood education are overwhelm- ing. When kids show up for kindergarten and haven’t had the benefit of preschool learn- ing, it creates a domino effect. A recent study of disadvan- taged children showed that those who don’t participate in quality pre-K programs have significantly lower achievement scores, are less likely to gradu- ate from high school, are less likely to be employed adults and are much more likely to be arrested,” said Adarkar. “The link is very strong, and the im- plications are critical for us to understand.” Adarkar adds that third grade reading levels are a widely accepted predictor of long-term school success, yet in 2004, 18 percent of Oregon’s third graders were not reading at their grade level. “And unfor- tunately, data shows that a stu- dent who is not a modestly skilled reader by the end of the third grade is far more likely to not graduate from high school,” said Adarkar. Furthermore, Adarkar cites that 90 percent of brain devel- opment occurs in children by age six, so those who go with- out early childhood education miss the opportunity for critical cognitive development and struggle to catch up. Because of all these early childhood education realities in Oregon, The Children’s Insti- tute has teamed with business leaders, childhood develop- ment experts, children’s advo- cates, philanthropists and edu- cators to form Ready for School, a consortium that is working to raise public aware- ness of the importance of kindergarten preparedness and enrolling more of Oregon’s chil- dren in high quality pre-K edu- cational programs. “For many years, the educa- tion debate in Oregon has cen- tered on school funding for K through 12. While this is an im- portant debate, we are missing an opportunity to make an in- vestment where it will count the most,” said Richard Alexander, chair of Ready For School. “The financial benefits of school preparedness make it hard to find a better investment for Oregon, as studies show that, among disadvantaged children, there is a nearly $13 return for $1 invested in a qual- ity preschool program. This re- turn is money saved on future public expenditures like special education, welfare and crime. And among all children, there is still a very significant estimated 4-to-1 return on investment.” In the months ahead, Ready for School will be presenting nearly two years worth of re- search with additional study re- sults, proposed solutions, and information and tips for parents and educators. Until then, The Children’s In- stitute has created an issue brief available to the public en- titled “Early Childhood Devel- opment: Investing in Oregon’s Economic Future” which con- tains background information and statistics on pre-K educa- tion, and is available for down- load at . Ready for School is a group of business leaders, philanthro- pists and children’s advocates working to address issues re- lated to school readiness in Oregon. For more information about this initiative, contact Swati Adarkar at 503-595- 0621. Columbia County Fair 4-H results show talent of children involved Following are partial results from the 4-H competition at the Columbia County Fair. Due to space limitations, only results within The Independent’s circu- lation area are included. More results will be published in the October 20 issue of The Inde- pendent . HORSE AND PONY Gaming, Pole Bending, Inter- mediate: White Award – Jessica Teeters, Boring; Megan Hieron- imus, Mist; Katie Wilson, Mist; Maike Fox, St. Helens; Jessica Greiner, St. Helens; Lindsay Paul- son, St. Helens; Mackenzie Carr, Vernonia, Ashley Paleck, Vernonia; Katherine Van Winkle, Warren. Gaming, Pole Bending, Se- nior: Reserve Champion – Torie Clement, Vernonia. White Award – Torie Clement, Vernonia; Cassandra Teeters, Bor- ing; Whitney Johnson, Clatskanie; Jocelyn Hepner, Portland; Kristin VERNONIA INN Enjoy a quiet weekend with us. 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