The State Board's Charge

June 10, 2005

Why Now?

A new economy driven by knowledge and innovation has emerged in Ohio and across the nation. It is reshaping our economic landscape, just as it is redefining the foundations of success for the state and its citizens. It is positioning knowledge and skills as the principal drivers of success for individuals and for our state’s sustainable economic growth.

To ensure that these attributes are available in abundant supply, Ohio has taken significant steps to improve the performance of its schools. We have increased our academic standards – what we expect all students to know and be able to do. We have taken bold steps to enable all Ohio students to have qualified, skilled teachers. And we are transforming children’s school experiences to ensure that all students are prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, careers and citizenship.

Despite this progress, there is more to be done. Many of our children will not be able to benefit from these improvements unless they come to school prepared to succeed. Early childhood is the best time to forge strong, effective partnerships among families, educators, communities and government in support of children’s long-term success. From birth through kindergarten, children’s brains grow dramatically, giving them the capacity to learn more than they can in any other period of their lives.

The best research and scientific evidence confirm the important economic and social benefits of quality early learning experiences. Therefore, we must act boldly – long before children knock on the kindergarten door – to improve and expand the availability of high quality early learning experiences. As a state, we must create high quality learning opportunities in the early years when children are most receptive. We cannot afford to wait until children reach age five or six to help them fulfill their promise.

This is the challenge the State Board of Education has directed the School Readiness Solutions Group to address. It is a challenge worthy of the state’s leaders assembled for this work. The results of their deliberations will produce lasting dividends for the state, its educational structure and its economic vitality – and most especially for our state’s youngest citizens.

The Charge

The School Readiness Solutions Group is charged with helping the state’s leaders rethink the rules, roles and relationships that define Ohio’s early learning services and opportunities. It is directed to look at early learning initiatives already being implemented in Ohio and across the country, to look at what seems to be working, and to search for effective solutions, recognizing that there are no quick fixes.

The School Readiness Solutions Group is directed to provide the State Board of Education, Governor and members of the Ohio General Assembly with recommendations for policy changes and action – in both the public and private sectors – that will lead to the development of a coherent, effective system of early learning that improves school readiness and promotes children’s long-term academic success.

Specifically, the State Board of Education is asking the School Readiness Solutions Group to develop a blueprint and action plan that responds to four questions.

The State Board of Education is looking for an integrated action plan that can be implemented at all levels – by state and local governments, education policy leaders, local school districts, providers of early learning services and supports, parents and families, community-based organizations, and employers and civic leaders. The School Readiness Solutions Group is to create a compelling road map that can be followed to ensure that every child has access to high-quality early learning opportunities.