Widely Respected Organization Partners with Missouri Families,
Engaging Parents and Caregivers in Supporting the Development of their Children
If Amendment 3 Passes, $300 Million in Annual Funding Will Go to
Early Childhood Programs – and Cannot Be Diverted by the Legislature
ST. LOUIS (October 4, 2016) – This morning Vote Yes on 3 for Kids, the diverse statewide coalition supporting passage of the Early Childhood Health and Education Amendment this November, announced the latest in a steady stream of major endorsements. Parents as Teachers – an organization that promotes the optimal early development, learning and health of children by supporting and engaging their parents and caregivers – strongly encourages the passage of Amendment 3.
“When we wisely choose to invest public funds in the earliest years, we build healthy children, strong families, and vibrant communities. We build confident citizens, and an employment-ready workforce – and we save money on expensive remedial interventions,” said Constance Gully, Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Parents as Teachers National Center. “Brain science has very clearly shown that the early years matter a lot.”
As the election nears, many groups and individuals have voiced support for Amendment 3; the Missouri School Boards’ Association, the Association for the Education of Young Children of Missouri, Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri State NAACP, the Missouri Retailers’ Association, the Missouri Budget Project, Nurses for Newborns, the Missouri Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, and SSM Health Care are among the dozens of endorsers. This widespread support shows an understanding of a basic fact: Missouri faces an early childhood education funding crisis. In 2014, only 3% of Missouri 4-year-olds were enrolled in state-funded pre-K compared to 60% of 4-year-olds in Iowa, and 76% in Oklahoma. In addition to trailing every single border state, Missouri also trails the majority of states across the nation.
Amendment 3 offers a common-sense solution to this crisis, and is the only proposal that will create such a significant increase in early childhood education funding. Missouri has the nation’s lowest cigarette tax, at only 17 cents a pack compared to $1.29 a pack in Kansas and $1.98 a pack in Illinois. By raising the tax by just 60 cents over the next four years, Missouri will have new, constitutionally-protected funding to bring early childhood education and health programs to kids all across the state.
“The truth is, all parents—especially, but not exclusively, new parents—could use a helping hand. Parents and caregivers enrolled in Parents as Teachers become advocates for their children, for life,” added Constance Gulley with PAT. “With passage of Amendment 3, we could partner with all new parents to help them be the best parents they can be and provide the extra resources that many families can use. Passage of Amendment 3 will help all Missouri families, will help our schools, will help our communities, and will help our economy. Let’s get the job done and approve Amendment 3!”
