Governor visits Senath to announce nearly $1 million dollar grant

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon visited Senath Friday to announce a nearly $1 million investment through the Missouri Start Smart Program to expand access to quality early childhood education opportunities. This project hopes to ensure that more Missouri children start kindergarten ready to succeed in school and beyond.

"Here in Dunklin County, there is a significant shortage of early learning opportunities for low-income families," Nixon said. "That's why this nearly $1 million Start Smart investment will help more children get the skills they need to be ready for kindergarten, while providing parents with a resource to help them stay in the workforce and keep our economy moving forward.

"Education is the best economical development tool there is for individuals, for families and for our communities."

Nixon emphasized the importance of those first years in a child's life. "Study after study confirms that the first five years of a child's development has an impact that lasts a lifetime. Children that enter kindergarten ready to learn are five times more likely to succeed in math and reading by the the third grade."

The grant will be used to construct the new 16,100 square foot DAEOC Head Start/Early Head Start Center, creating 108 early learning slots for area low-income families.

In a news release, "Among the key limiting factors for the impoverished in America is lack of education," said Joel Evans, DAEOC president. "Early Head Start and Head Start programs help ensure that children enter kindergarten ready to learn. They lay the foundation for the future educational success of the children they serve."

Nixon has made public education in Missouri a top priority of his administration. Even during the the height of the recession, the Governor worked across the aisle to balance the budget every year without raising taxes or making cuts to K-12 classrooms.

In addition to funding through the Missouri Preschool Program, in 2014, the governor launched Missouri Start Smart to support the development, expansion and improvement of high-quality early childhood and pre-kindergarten programs throughout the the state. To date, $23.1 million in Missouri Smart Start grants has been awarded for 24 projects across the state, which will serve up to 2,325 pre-school age children.

"Early education is a smart investment with a big return." said Nixon.