While many parents know that college should be a priority in their home, others are not sure when and how early to start talking to their kids about continuing their education after high school.   The simple answer is it is never too early to start creating a college going culture in your home.

With a startling 50 percent of Arizona high school graduates not qualified to enroll in our state universities, setting the expectation that high school graduation is not the finish line is imperative. Setting this expectation sooner rather than later allows more time to discuss how to make it happen and the different pathways they can take – turning the question from “if” they are going to continue education after high school to where, how, and what type of  postsecondary education to pursue.

“To ensure Arizona students are doing what it takes to be ready for college, it’s really important that parents embed this topic in their conversations with them,” said Pearl Chang Esau, President/CEO of Expect More Arizona. “For example, when you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, the conversation doesn’t end there. That leads perfectly to a conversation about what subjects they would need to take in school to qualify for the postsecondary education needed for that career.”

Esau adds that talking to children about their passions and interests can lead to conversations about the many different career choices that fit those interests, and the type of education each requires.

To help students and their families make sure they are on the right path to being ready to succeed in education after high school, Expect More Arizona, in partnership with NAU’s Arizona GEAR UP, created a College and Career Planning Guide. The guide includes different pathways students can choose, a checklist by grade level to make sure they are on the right track, simple explanations about the differences in Arizona’s postsecondary institutions – what’s the difference between a community college, a university, or a technical institution, for example, and covers the different benefits of their education. All of this information and much more is contained in the guide, which is distributed to students across the state, and is also available for download and as an interactive tool.

In addition to starting early conversations about college, building excitement leading up to college is equally important. One of the most effective things to do to get your child excited about college is to take them on an actual campus visit. Getting them physically on the campus and exposed to the interesting and – to them – “grown up” qualities of campus life will give them something to look forward to. Campus tours can be coordinated by contacting your local university or community college, or you can visit an older sibling or family friend who is currently attending college.

“Starting today, you can take steps to ensure your child is on the right path to attending college,” said Esau. “Make a commitment to have regular communication with your child’s school and teacher. Talk to them about getting your child ready for college, ask what resources and programs they provide, and how you can support what they are doing at home.”

Rachel Bennet Yanof is the Executive Director of the Phoenix Collegiate Academy. She encourages the parents of her students to be actively involved in their children’s education, especially when it comes to reading. “Through 3rd grade, kids are learning to read,” she says. “But, from 4th grade on, kids are reading to learn.” Yanof explains that a lack of reading comprehension skills inhibits students’ ability to advance in other areas of schooling as well.

All parents, regardless of their own background and skill level, have the ability to help their students learn to read proficiently. There are many ways to help your student advance, and Yanof points out that each student is different, so parents should partner with teachers to determine the best approach for their students. Best practices for parents include:

• Make sure your child has access to books.
• With younger children, make sure to read with them at least 15 minutes each day.
• As your children get older, encourage them to read independently and talk with them about what they are reading.
• Ask them questions about what they are reading, including: Who is your favorite character? What is the conflict or main issue of the story?
• Ask the teacher if your child is reading at grade level. If not, ask how you can partner with the teacher to ensure they are reading at grade level by the end of the year.

Last year, Arizona lawmakers passed a bill known as “move on when reading,” which will be implemented in the spring of next year. Under the bill, students in the lowest levels of proficiency of reading in the 3rd grade will not advance to 4th grade. According to the current AIMS results, this would only apply to a small percentage of our students. The goal of the bill is to ensure that when students move on to 4th grade, they will have the essential skill of reading that will help them perform better in all aspects of their education.

Yanof says there are many resources available to assist parents as they help their students advance as readers. First, talk with your student’s school and ask how you can support their reading curriculum. Go to your local public library, where they have resources for all families to help their students. Finally, visit Expect More Arizona’s parent resource section for a grade specific tool with tips, information, and more resources to help students succeed.

As parents, we want to do everything possible to help our kids get a smart start on their education. For some, it means finding our infants, toddlers and preschoolers the best early education opportunities possible. For others, it means purchasing educational toys and exposing our kids to learning experiences, such as visiting museums. But, First Things First (FTF) reminds us that everyday moments offer us the chance to help or kids grow and learn, too.

“Starting at birth, kids are learning – through everything they see and experience, especially interactions with the adults in their lives,” FTF Chief Executive Officer Rhian Evans Allvin said. “As parents and caregivers, one of the best things we can do is use their natural curiosity and turn our home environments into learning opportunities.”

Research shows that 80 to 90 percent of a child’s brain develops by the time he or she is five years old, and the experiences a child has in the early years lay the foundation for success in kindergarten and beyond. But, what can kids learn from helping with routine tasks, like laundry, grocery shopping and cooking?
Helping to sort laundry helps kids learn about shapes and colors. Cooking is a chance to learn about numbers and textures. And, grocery shopping gives an opportunity to spot letters and numbers, while building vocabulary.

Play time also offers a chance to learn while having fun. The best choices for toys are those that require interaction between adults and children. They include:

• Infants (under 1 year old) -  toys where the child’s touch creates sounds, flashing lights or other action; toys they can safely chew on;  toys with mirrors, where they can observe facial expressions.
• Toddlers (1-3 years old) – toys they can ride on or climb on; balls to roll, catch, etc.; blocks or building-type toys; toys that encourage matching and sorting shapes, colors, or objects; and materials for playing with sand, water and other textures.
• Preschoolers (3-5 years old)  – anything that encourages imaginative play, such as dress-up clothes or toys that mimic household items or tools; puzzles and simple games; art supplies including plain white paper, markers, crayons, finger paints, molding clay or dough, etc.

The best way to help your child prepare for school? Reading every day – 15 minutes per day for infants, up to 30 minutes a day for toddlers and preschoolers.

“Helping kids understand that everything has a name and a symbol (either word or a number) associated with it is called early literacy, and it is, simply, the foundation all future learning is built on,” Allvin said. “Reading every day is a way to help our kids build a solid foundation so they start school prepared to succeed.”
Any activities to avoid? Almost anything that involves a screen.

In a recent policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that parents keep kids under 2 as “screen free” as possible, including television, movies and video games. For older children, limited screen time is recommended.

“Screens can’t replace people, and while the action can be entertaining, there is little children are learning from them,” Allvin said. “Instead, look for chances to read, talk, sing and play together – these will mean the most to a young child’s learning and build skills that last a lifetime.”

For more information about the importance of early childhood and how you can help young children succeed, please visit ReadyAZKids.com. And, find information and resources about Arizona education and building a high expectations culture in our state here at ExpectMoreArizona.org.

Watch the video below to take a virtual tour and learn more about components of a high quality learning environment for young children.

Special thanks to Phoenix Day for providing their assistance and expertise in the video.

The taskforce, comprised of individuals from across Arizona representing many sectors, was charged with defining the ideal system of early care and education and forwarding recommended priority roles for FTF to the FTF State Board. While much of this document describes the role of FTF within the early childhood system, it will take all of us working together to accomplish the tasks that lie ahead.

The stakes are high. This year’s kindergarten class will be the first group of students to be mandatorily held back if they are not reading at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. Today, almost 38% of Arizona’s fourth graders are not reading at grade level. Research tells us that kids who start school behind, stay behind. If we are going to help Arizona’s students meet these higher expectations, they must enter kindergarten with the tools they need to be successful.

FTF continues to work with the early learning, health, K–12 and higher education communities to create alignment from the early years through post-secondary education. In the past year, those partnerships have resulted in targeted alignment of curriculum and assessment in high quality childcare and preschool programs to the Arizona Early Learning Standards for 3 – 5 year olds. Additionally, FTF will participate in the alignment of the Early Learning Standards with the new common core K–12 standards, and continue to work with the Arizona Department of Education to develop similar guidelines for infants and toddlers by Fall 2011 so that the education children receive from birth to 5 years old prepares them for success in school and beyond.

Arizona voters have dedicated significant tax dollars through FTF to ensure that young children arrive in kindergarten prepared for the rigor they will face. The voters understood that the experiences children have in the first five years of life — including their early education — lay the foundation upon which all their future learning is built. They have committed to the efficient and effective use of these public funds to help our state fulfill the voters’ commitment to our youngest kids. Identifying the priority roles for FTF described in this document is an important step in that journey.

In the coming months, they will build on this work by identifying statewide and local indicators to measure progress and hold both FTF and the broader early childhood system accountable for improved outcomes for kids. These indicators will be released in the fall of 2011.

Click here to download “Ready for School. Set for Life: Creating the Model Early Childhood System.”

Before we move forward, I’d like to take a moment to celebrate what has been accomplished during this election season.  First of all, congratulations to everyone who worked on the defeat of Proposition 302.  From pro-education advocacy groups and businesses to educators and parent groups, Arizona rallied to show investing in our youngest children is still our priority.

The foundation for the defeat of Proposition 302 was laid in May as Arizona voters, once again, raised their voices in support of education with the passage of Proposition 100, the temporary tax to support primary and secondary education.  In the community, people recognize that the “Yes on 100” effort brought together groups of differing parties and opinions in a way that no other proposition had in the past.

As you know, this was the inaugural year for the “Vote 4 Education” campaign, so it is imperative that our leaders – from local leaders to state and federal leaders – understand that when we pledged to hold them accountable for their promises on supporting education, we meant business.   At Expect More Arizona, we are committed to continuing to collaborate and build that network of advocates who can rally in support of education over the coming year as budget and policy decisions that impact education are made by those chosen to lead our state.

I think there can be no question that most Arizona voters expect more for education; now we need to make sure our political leaders respect and reflect our high expectations. That means you must follow how our leaders vote, even in an off-election year.  We must continually remind them that Arizonans do, in fact, want them to gauge each decision based on whether or not it’s good for education and our kids.  After all, if it improves the quality of our education system, it improves our economic future and quality of life.

While many of the most important decisions that impact the future of education in Arizona will be made by those who prevailed in the election, it is critical for all of us to embrace our role in improving education in our state.   We’ve been thrilled with the commitment of Arizona’s business community, parents, educators, community leaders, and Arizonans, like you, from all regions of the state have made to advance the movement for education. For some ideas on how you can help, visit the “Get Involved” page on our web site. And, be on the lookout in the coming year for new and exciting campaigns from Expect More Arizona that will challenge each of us to do our part to help Arizona’s students graduate high school prepared to succeed in college and career.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has joined the Expect More Arizona movement for your passion and dedication.  Special thanks to everyone who walked and hosted presentations on behalf of “Vote 4 Education.”   If you haven’t already, stay informed and connected to Expect More Arizona on Facebook and Twitter too!    We look forward to working with you make education Arizona’s top priority.

Nicole Magnuson is the Executive Director of Expect More Arizona.

The tax we supported generates roughly $150 million a year, supporting early childhood across our state, organized by an Early Childhood Health and Development Board, known as First Things First. This November, we are being asked to vote on Proposition 302, which would eliminate First Things First and sweep its funds into the general fund in an effort to balance our state’s budget.

It is true that Arizona’s economy is struggling, and that the state needs to find a way to balance the budget. While we may disagree on the best ways to do this, there should be no argument that dismissing our children, aged birth to five, isn’t the best option. Study after study proves that early childhood education and health care in the first five years of life is key to children growing into successful, productive members of society. As a state, we must send a message to our elected leaders that we will not deprive Arizona’s youngest kids of the programs and services necessary to help them begin school healthy and ready to learn.

In its short four years, First Things First has provided early health and education to more than 330,000 Arizona children.  Statewide, the agency has created healthier and safer learning environments and distributed emergency food boxes and emergency aid items. They provide the Arizona Parent Kit to new parents as they leave the hospital, detailing parenting tools, tips, and resources to help foster the safe and healthy development of newborns. First Things First also helps make a 24-hour Birth-to-Five hotline available statewide to answer the questions of parents and caregivers.  These are just a few examples of the vital services First Things First provides.

Expect More Arizona and our partners often talk about Arizona’s children as an investment. Yes, eliminating First Things First and early childhood services would help balance this year’s budget, but at what cost? Quality learning at all stages of the education continuum – birth through career – is an investment in the success of Arizona; eliminating these services is a short-term solution that will not provide long-term security for our children or our state.

We got it right in 2006. Please join me in voting again for early childhood health and development. Let’s allow First Things First to continue the essential work it has only just begun. Remember, as you vote this year, saying yes to Arizona’s youngest children means voting NO on Proposition 302.

Paul J. Luna is President and CEO, Helios Education Foundation, and Chair of the Expect More Arizona Board.

Helios Education Foundation and First Things First are funders of Expect More Arizona.

Paid for by Expect More Arizona – Vote 4 Education, No on 302 – Protect Early Childhood Health/Development Funds.  Major funding by Expect More Arizona, a fund of the Arizona Community  Foundation.  The Vote 4 Education campaign is funded in its entirety by Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona Community Foundation through Expect More Arizona and does not use public funds.

Now that we know (mostly) who will be on the November ballot, it is more imperative than ever that we get to know our candidates and where they stand on education. As a part of our “Vote 4 Education” campaign, we are recommending you take 4 actions this election year. Let’s take a moment to discuss each of them.

4 Actions

Action 1 – Arizona voters already successfully completed the first action this past May when we voted in support of Proposition 100. But, we must remember, moving forward, that Prop 100 was a temporary but significant step toward our goal, but only a band-aid. Let’s build on the momentum of Action 1’s success by completing the next three.

Action 2 – Vote NO on 302! Arizona’s ballot measures are often written to confuse voters, and Proposition 302 is no exception. So, let’s be clear: Voting NO on 302 is a vote to support Arizona’s youngest children, ages 0 -5.  In 2006, we voted to create a tobacco tax that would fund early childhood health and development; First Things First was created with those moneys, but now Arizona voters are being asked to eliminate the organization and to sweep its savings into the general fund. At Expect More Arizona, we believe that providing quality learning to Arizona’s youngest students is key to creating a successful education system. We urge you to protect First Things First and vote NO on 302.

Action 3 – Make sure your candidates are unwavering advocates of education. Expect More Arizona does not and will not endorse any candidate for public office. And, while we know that every candidate declares he or she is pro-education, we encourage you to challenge that declaration and to dig deeper. Our 4 Questions to “Vote 4 Education” will help you push candidates to be specific on how they will champion education, support pro-education policies, and motivate all Arizonans to do their part to improve education in our state. Talk is cheap; make sure your candidates know the only way to earn your vote is to make education one of their top two priorities. And, make sure they also know you plan to hold them accountable for their campaign promises.

Action 4 – Rally 10 friends to vote with education as their “hot button” issue. You and I know there is a direct link between the quality of Arizona’s education system and the quality of life in our state. That’s one of the reasons we “Vote 4 Education.” But, do your friends and family understand your passion and all of the reasons you support education? We encourage you to make the case 4 Education and get at least 10 friends to join the Expect More Arizona movement.

It is true that Arizona is at a crossroads. The decisions we make on November 2^nd will affect today’s students, as well as the prosperity and quality of life for all of Arizona. We can’t continue to put education off for the next election, or the election after that. Together, we can change how education is viewed and supported in Arizona, but only if we take action. From today until Election Day, will you take the remaining three actions to “Vote 4 Education?” What are the other ways you will champion education in this election?

Paid for by Expect More Arizona – Vote 4 Education, No on 302 – Protect Early Childhood Health/Development Funds.  Major funding by Expect More Arizona, a fund of the Arizona Community  Foundation.  The Vote 4 Education campaign is funded in its entirety by Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona Community Foundation through Expect More Arizona and does not use public funds.

In the last three fiscal years, Arizona’s education system suffered more than $1 billion in budget cuts. All the while, Arizona students continue to fall behind in academic performance, high school graduation rates and postsecondary degree attainment.   The monies brought in by Prop 100’s temporary sales tax will help reduce the need for even further cuts, but there is still more we must do to make Arizona’s education system a model of excellence, and to ensure our students and Arizona are positioned to compete both nationally and globally.

When you visit Expect More Arizona’s “Vote 4 Education” section, you’ll see 4 actions and 4 questions that relate to this year’s elections.  With a victory check next to voting “Yes on 100,” we must now shift our attention over the next five months to the candidates who are running for office at all levels.  The changes necessary to improve education in our state are not for the faint at heart or those with fleeting priorities.  We need leaders who are visionary and willing to do the work required to ensure our long-term success.  We must also protect the voter-approved early childhood health and development funds this November.

All of this means that education shouldn’t be just another issue in this year’s elections; it should be THE issue. Arizona’s candidates must know that in order to earn your vote they must have specific plans and strategies for how they will address the biggest issues affecting education in our state. They need to know they will be elected based on their support of education, and then held accountable for following through on their promises.

Once again, I salute Arizona for being a strong voice for education and share in celebrating the passage of Prop 100.   And now that we know our collective power, we ask you to come back and build on this momentum, so we can urge Arizonans to continue to “Vote 4 Education!”

Nicole Magnuson is the Executive Director of Expect More Arizona.

Paid for by Expect More Arizona – Vote 4 Education, No on 302 – Protect Early Childhood Health/Development Funds.  Major funding by Expect More Arizona, a fund of the Arizona Community  Foundation.  The Vote 4 Education campaign is funded in its entirety by Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona Community Foundation through Expect More Arizona and does not use public funds.