Little Carys is about to experience a milestone in her life - she's going to kindergarten.
But is Carys ready for school? The answer to that question plays a major role in her future, our state's future, and Washington's school system.?
"Any school system is only as strong as its early childhood programs and that's why we're putting such an emphasis on that," said Susan Enfield, Chief Academic Officer for Seattle Public Schools.
Top educators like Enfield and the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, Maria Goodloe-Johnson, say when kids enter kindergarten ready, test scores go up and achievement gaps go down.
"So if students come to school prepared, equal footing, with knowledge around being able to read, books language, all of those things, then there's no gap," said Goodloe-Johnson.
Studies show a child prepared for kindergarten is more likely to finish high school and get a good job, and less likely to become dependent on welfare or involved in crime.
At the Snohomish County Jail, Sheriff John Lovick sees the under-educated every day.
"I looked at the numbers today, about 1,100 people in the jail and only 29 percent of those have a high school diploma," said Lovick. "In law enforcement we can't keep arresting ourselves out of the problem."
Instead, concentrate on babies now and watch them grow into productive, successful adults later.
That's the benefit of kindergarten readiness, says Nina Auerbach, CEO of Thrive by Five Washington.
"We're going to have more kids graduating high school, going on to college and you know then being able to successfully contribute to our economy here in Washington," she said.
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