From Citrus County Chronicle: “Betty Rowe has spunk and grit, and she brings it with her each week to Crystal River Primary School where she’s a United Way ReadingPals volunteer.”
From The Gainesville Sun: “Florida voters approved free voluntary pre-K for the state’s 4-year-olds in 2002, but lawmakers haven’t provided the funding and set the standards required to ensure the program is effective.”
From WJCT News: “Lawrence discussed his book, The Children’s Movement, and the importance of journalism and how consuming the media has evolved over the years with us.”
From The New York Times: “Older people are uniquely suited for a mentoring role. The critical skills for nurturing relationships — emotional regulation and empathy — blossom as we age.”
From The New Tropic: “The early years are a valuable and significant time because these connections form the brain’s foundation. It is easier and more effective to get things right the first time than return later to strengthen or shore up preventable damage to a child’s developmental process.”
From The Palm Beach Post: “Beyond what is right, prioritizing Florida’s children’s early lives is also the most practical, effective and efficient solution to numerous challenges faced by our state.”
From South Florida Sun Sentinel: “As state legislators come together this spring to agree on Florida’s priorities and express them in budgets and agendas, these 100 mayors hope DeSantis and Florida legislators take appropriate action as stewards of Florida’s future prosperity and prioritize early childhood when they vote.”
From Early Learning Nation: “The Children’s Movement of Florida has pulled together more than 100 Florida mayors and got them all to sign a letter to FL Governor Ron DeSantis with a clear message: Prioritize early childhood learning.”
From Northwest Florida Daily News: “We know that prioritizing early childhood development is a wise investment in Florida’s future prosperity. … We ask that you make this a priority in your administration.”
From The Miami Herald: “Enhancing quality in the sites that care for our youngest children cannot be done on the cheap, which is exactly what has been happening in our state. It is the long view, however, which should be driving our personal and political positions.”
From The Miami Herald: “Today, at least 30 percent of all children entering public school are significantly behind, and we know that most of those then fall further behind.”
From Tampa Bay Times: “One hundred Florida mayors, from big cities to suburbia to small towns, have signed a letter asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to prioritize early childhood as he sets his agenda for Florida’s future.”
From WCTV: “Most of the development, human development, takes place in the earliest years of our lives. So it’s important that we create the environment and we dedicate the resources so that all children can flourish.”
From Florida Phoenix: “Whether this takes the form of support for early learning initiatives, more widespread health care for children under 5, or greater access to parenting support resources for all parents, the result is the same: a state that prioritizes children will reap rewards over time with a better workforce and lower crime.”
From News 4 Jax: “Keeping them interested in learning can actually keep them out of prison. Early learning is the key … It is good for kids and is good for the community.”
From Capital Soup: “These local government leaders, who represent millions of citizens in blue and red districts, have embraced the universal, overarching importance of prioritizing the state’s youngest children.”
From Florida Politics: “Mayors from across the state are urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to double down on early childhood education so the state’s generation-in-waiting can achieve higher high school graduation rates and have access to a full slate of employment and postsecondary education opportunities.”
