Opinion: Iowa must restore preschool funding. Our recovery depends on it.

Earlier this month, when Iowa’s preschool cuts came to light and ultimately were passed as part of the state’s supplemental school aid package, I was shocked and deeply disappointed in our policymakers. This is truly disheartening, especially during COVID-19, a time that has already proven to be incredibly difficult for Iowa’s kids, families and preschool providers. 

State Voluntary Preschool Program funds are determined based on the previous year’s enrollment numbers. Preschool — an important form of child care and early learning — took a huge hit in enrollment due to the pandemic, a factor that I hoped the state Legislature would take into account. Unfortunately, due to reduced enrollment in 2020, over $7 million was eliminated from Iowa’s preschool budget, meaning that over 2,600 Iowa children who rely on publicly funded preschool won’t be able to attend. 

In an effort to seek answers and potential solutions, a Save the Children Action Network volunteer and a preschool director in Des Moines, Kelly Donnelly, spoke with her legislators. She later told me: “After speaking with my local lawmakers, I know they are overwhelmed in trying to make the best decisions for our COVID-related financial crisis. I think they have overlooked the details how the preschool cuts directly impact our Iowa families, our teachers and our children.”

I couldn’t agree more. And, that’s why I’m writing this piece — to shed light on the far reaching impacts these cuts will have.

As a parent and as the Iowa state manager for Save the Children Action Network, I know how important early childhood education is. After all, 90% of a child’s brain is developed by the age of 5. My fellow policy experts are equally concerned with the situation. Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, recently told me: “Iowa preschoolers will miss out on the early education they need for a solid foundation for future school success.” Jillian Herink, the executive director of the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children, echoed a similar sentiment: “Strong early learning experiences provide benefits that last a lifetime, and we should be prioritizing our early learning opportunities at the highest levels not reducing the funding for them.”

And, while all kids benefit from preschool, studies have shown that disadvantaged kids — exactly those who are directly affected by the Iowa preschool funding cut — benefit the most. Not only will this adversely affect Iowa’s kids, but also Iowa’s future.

To put a face to this issue, I spoke with Dawn DuPont, who is the preschool director of Lovely Lane and Trinity Lane Preschools in Cedar Rapids. She told me that 75% of the kids in her Trinity Lane program are from low-income households, and that preschool is particularly vital to these children as it helps them become kindergarten-ready. With regard to the funding cuts, DuPont told me: “Before the Legislature passed cuts to preschool, we already opened up our enrollment to parents. If we have to make cuts, am I supposed to go back to these parents and tell them their slot is no longer open?”

This is the million-dollar question. Preschool doesn’t just help kids, it also helps parents, the workforce, the economy and, therefore, Iowa’s recovery from COVID-19. Gov. Kim Reynolds seemed to understand this, based upon her Economic Recovery Advisory Board’s recommendations in February for expanding child care and preschool programs to meet the demands of our workforce. At the end of the day, we need parents to get back to work in order for our economy to recover. DuPont specifically told me: “In spite of COVID-19, our Trinity Lane Preschool remained completely full. Many of the parents worked jobs where they didn’t have a choice to stay home. Our preschool program is a form of high quality child care for them.”

To everyone who voted for these cuts: How will the parents of these 2,600 children go back to work if they don’t have a safe, nurturing and affordable place to send their kids? How does this align with recommendations to invest more in preschool and child care for a strong economic recovery? How will Iowa preschools survive this now, and in the long-term?

It’s clear. Affordable, quality preschool is key to Iowa’s recovery, to Iowa’s workforce and, most importantly of all, to Iowa’s children, our shared future. Preschool funding must be restored.

Join me in urging our policymakers to fix this mistake. Tell them to commit to passing a bill that would guarantee preschool will be funded at 2019 enrollment rates. Our children — our future — are depending on it.

E.J. Wallace is the Iowa state manager for Save the Children Action Network.