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04/26/2004 <br />ORIGINAL <br />RESOLUTION NO. 14579 <br />RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF VOLUNTARY QUALITY PRESCHOOL <br />FOR ALL 3 AND 4 YEAR OLDS <br />WHEREAS, ensuring access to high - quality preschool for all 3 and 4 year -olds <br />whose parents choose to send them continues to be an increasing priority at the local, <br />state and national levels; and <br />WHEREAS, quality preschool programs prepare children to do their best by <br />nurturing their social - emotional, cognitive, linguistic and physical development; <br />enhancing their self- confidence; and fostering a positive attitude about learning; and <br />WHEREAS, during their K -12 years and beyond, children who attend quality <br />preschool are less likely to be placed in special education or held back a grade, exhibit <br />more positive behaviors in the classroom, perform better on standardized achievement <br />tests in math and reading, are more likely to graduate from high school and continue <br />their education, will earn more money, are less likely to go on welfare, and are less <br />likely to become involved in crime; and <br />WHEREAS, what happens to California's children matters not only to their <br />immediate families, but also to the neighborhoods in which they live, the schools they <br />attend and the communities in which they will eventually work and raise their own <br />children. Early childhood development sets the stage for a child's future ability to <br />achieve academically, interact socially, and participate fully in our democracy. <br />Providing voluntary preschool for all is the very best we can do for them and for <br />ourselves as a society; and <br />WHEREAS, what children experience from birth through age eight has a major <br />impact on their later success in school and life. Children who do not learn to read by <br />age eight are likely to have difficulty throughout the rest of their school careers. Quality <br />preschool introduces children to early literacy and literacy development and lays a solid <br />foundation for later reading success; and <br />WHEREAS, high - quality preschool programs provide parents with the <br />opportunity to participate in their child's early education. Professional teachers can <br />support parents by giving them tools to be better parents as well as identify children's <br />special needs early and help parents to address them; and <br />WHEREAS, 56% of San Mateo County's children under the age of 6 live in <br />households with two parents in the workforce or with a single parent who works. High <br />Atty /Reso /Reso.1460 Muff # 708 <br />041404 1 <br />