By Charla Myers

When I was in school, one of the things I learned in math was how to find the lowest common denominator. Al-though the problems I now analyze are not always mathematical, finding that lowest fundamental intersection is still a critical skill. That is how I have come to understand that investments in our youngest children are fundamental to keeping unemployment low, making sure kids succeed in school and contributing to the long-term economic vitality of our community.

Commitment to public education remains high, as evidenced by any number of public-opinion polls that list education as a No. 1 priority. We recognize that education is an investment with no immediate payoff, but with critical long-term importance.

We constantly hear of proposals to improve education for children from kindergarten through high school. But public policy has been slower to acknowledge the needs of younger children even though common sense tells us that school success is directly linked to what children learn before they arrive at school.

Parents are still a child's first and best teacher. But parents are no longer the only teachers. Estimates from the 2000 census show that 65.6 percent of Missouri's children under age 6 live in households where the parents work. Someone else is teaching these children while their parents work. We should be concerned about what these very young children learn, both at home and in the care of others. Just baby-sitting will not yield the positive, long-term results we all desire.

The federal government has spent larger and larger sums on care for young children, primarily as a result of welfare reform. The government recognized that recipients of public aid could not work if they did not have care for their children. Many of these programs have paid limited attention to the quality of the learning experience.

Missouri state government long ago recognized the need to attend to the quality of learning for younger children, particularly those children in greatest need. We began supporting parents with the popular Parents as Teachers program. With funding from gaming-boat admission fees, Missouri established the Missouri Preschool Project, Early Head Start and a variety of grant programs aimed at improving learning for very young children. Last year, $14 million in tobacco-settlement funds went to early learning.

Funding was never sufficient to provide quality early learning experiences for all at-risk children, much less for all of the state's young children. Unfortunately, the current state budget crisis may force a reduction in even these few programs. Competition for scarce funds is intense. There are currently two proposals that would reduce funding from gaming fees for these important efforts. House Bill 1613 would halve the amount of money available for early care. Senate Bill 676 would reduce funding by $4 million a year, a 7 percent decrease. The governor's budget cuts all of the promised $14 million in tobacco-settlement funds from early education.

It is expected that the budget crisis is temporary. Projections suggest revenue will rise by the next budget cycle. If that is true, then this is not the time to make lasting cuts in early learning. We cannot ask very young children to wait, particularly those who are at greatest risk of not being ready for school. Instead, we should find a way to maintain our current support and focus on a long-term investment plan for quality early learning.

Research has shown that every dollar invested in very young at-risk children yields $7 in saving by reducing the need for special services and by increasing the economic contribution these children make as adults. This is the lowest common denominator. This is common sense. This should be public policy. Do the math.

Charla Myers is the program director for Child Care Resource and Referral at Southeast Missouri State University.