Governor Patrick

“First and foremost, let’s keep leading in education. Let’s make quality early education and all-day kindergarten available to more young children,” Governor Deval Patrick said last night in his final State of the State address.

In a speech that praised the commonwealth’s progress and its strategy of investing in education, innovation and infrastructure, the governor called on Massachusetts to work hard to meet unmet needs. Even as the state celebrates its progress, the governor explained, “some things have not changed enough. We lead the country in student achievement, but some of our students remain stuck in achievement gaps.”

“If we are to be in the leadership business,” the governor said, “we need to lead in rebuilding the ladder to success, because there are children here in our own commonwealth tonight whose future is still defined by the zip code of their birth. I was once one of those kids. And for all my blessings, I have not forgotten.”

Patrick’s commitment to early education and care is detailed in his fiscal year 2015 budget proposal, which includes $15 million in additional funding to increase access to high-quality early education programs for 1,700 qualified children from birth to age five. The budget also calls for $3.1 million to help communities offer full-day kindergarten.

Later in the evening, President Barack Obama struck the same resounding chord in his State of the Union address, saying, “Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education.”

“It’s exciting to hear Governor Patrick and President Obama agree on the vital importance of early education,” Carolyn Lyons, CEO and president of Strategies for Children, said of last night’s speeches. “Their commitment is symbolic of the bi-partisan support that we are seeing across the country. A newly released NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that 63 percent of Americans think ensuring that all children have access to early education should be a national priority this year. Another 22 percent say it could be delayed until next year. This growing national momentum promises to create high-quality programs that help children in every state thrive in school and achieve lifelong success.”