[StBernard] EDITORIAL: Little ones hold the key to Louisiana's big challenges

[Westley Annis]

EDITORIAL: Little ones hold the key to Louisiana's big challenges

Periodically, the press office will publish editorials, articles and columns that feature Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's work in various areas. 

Town Talk: Our view: Little ones hold the key to La.'s big challenges
Published Sunday, November 4, 2007
Click here to read the article online. 
<http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711030332> 

A bright spot in Louisiana is its commitment to early childhood education, an effort that started in earnest in 2002 and has grown significantly under the guidance of Gov. Kathleen Blanco.


>From the start of her first and only term as governor, Blanco has been steadfast in her commitment to improving education at all levels in Louisiana and strategic about investing in programs that will reap the greatest rewards.


Nowhere is that better demonstrated than in the success of "LA 4," the state's initiative to improve early childhood education. 

LA 4, named for its emphasis on 4-year-olds, is a remarkable program that has earned national recognition and given Louisiana a much-needed badge of honor.

LA 4 is giving children the leg up they needs to succeed in school, the single-most important thing in the future of an individual.

An individual's success in school means everything to that individual's success in life.

It also portends larger successes for communities. With education, health stands to improve, the economy is positioned to flourish, the social fabric is more tightly stitched, and civic engagement increases. The quality of life, for all, improves.

Virtually forever, Louisiana's public schools have been the bottom-feeders in education. Our students and our state have suffered as a result. That reality has become exponentially more problematic as the economy has shifted and made new demands on employment and investment.

Agriculture and "extraction" -- drilling, timbering, mining and so on -- remain important, especially as the state and the nation feed more and more of the world.

But the growth in employment that pays well and anticipates the future is elsewhere. In the Information Age, what counts is knowledge and the ability to learn.

An effective pre-K program helps children develop socialization skills, relationships, independence, communication and more. Every child's innate desire to learn is nurtured, and each one moves ahead -- ready, willing and eager to learn more and more.

Gov. Blanco deserves much credit for the state's progress in this area. She appreciates and understands the absolute need for education and lifelong learning.

She is sharing that dedication and enthusiasm as she prepares to leave office and as U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-La., prepares to move into the Governor's Mansion. Jindal will take the handoff easily and run with it, no doubt, as he is an acolyte of education from day one.

More than anything else, Louisiana must keep its collective eye on this and make sure that leaders and lawmakers make the right decisions for the future of the state.

The future is in our children, and their future is in the classroom.


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