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September 5, 2007 |
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COMMENTARY The Strength of "Start Strong" MI was involved in numerous program proposals and reforms in my nearly 30 year career in public education administration during which I have never known of a program proposal that came with the strong evidence of its potential for success and positive return on investment as the extensive body of research supporting pre-K education has. That is what I shared with the nearly 300 attendees at the Governor's Early Childhood Summit in Richmond recently. And that evidence was presented in a convincing fashion at the Summit. Governor Timothy Kaine was in Reston this week to present his case for early childhood education to a meeting of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Nobel Prize winning economist from the University of Chicago, Dr. John Heckman, offered the results of numerous studies he and others have conducted that show the strong positive return on investment in preschool programs. With numerous charts and graphs, Dr. Heckman made his point that early intervention has a higher return than does later remediation. Dr. Heckman was introduced by Dr. Jeffrey M. Lacker, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, who had made these same points about the economic advantages of preschool programs to a meeting of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce just weeks ago. As only an economist could explain it, Dr. Lacker wrote recently, "There are many explanations for the apparent high economic returns to early childhood education, but a key difference between early childhood investments and investments at primary and secondary education levels is the potential for compounding. That is, enhancing early childhood development appears to improve a child's ability to learn at later stages. This means the return on early education comes not just from the direct effects, say on the development of cognitive ability, but also from the fact that these early investments increase the productivity of later educational investments." The economists were joined in their enthusiastic support for pre-K programs by educational researcher Dr. William Gormley of Georgetown University who presented his evidence that long-term benefits substantially exceed short-term costs. He termed the program "one of the best investments a state can make." Visit www.crocus.georgetown.edu to read some of the research results. It shows that children who attend high quality preschool are more likely to finish school, find good jobs, and are less likely to commit a crime. Former Governor of North Carolina for sixteen years, Jim Hunt, who was one of the national pioneer advocates for preschool education, told the Summit attendees that the best dropout prevention comes before a child starts school. Under Governor Kaine's proposal, current public preschool programs will be expanded to ensure that no child will be denied access to a program because of income or geography. A voluntary quality rating system will be instituted among all programs to assist parents in making decisions on programs in which to enroll their child. The Governor's proposal will also seek to expand a trained and quality workforce for preschool education programs. According to a national organization, Pre-K Now, twenty-nine governors made pre-K a budget priority this year. All these proposals could direct more than 800 million new dollars to providing 100,000 additional slots for pre-K programs. For more documentation on advantages of early childhood education go to www.smartbeginnings.org. Even with the strong evidence supporting the value of such programs, there are the naysayers. Governor Kaine says that in order to stay strong as a Commonwealth, we need to start strong. I would add that the strength of an educational program has never been clearer than with Start Strong. |
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Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report" |
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Tonight – Wednesday, September 5 at 10:30 p.m. – Ron Kirby, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments – "What if the Washington Region Grew Differently?" Tuesday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, September 12 at 10:30 p.m. – Patricia Nicoson, Dulles Corridor Rail Association – "Waiting on Rail to Dulles" |
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Re-Election Campaign |
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Ken is a candidate for re-election to the House of Delegates on November 6, 2007. To ask Ken a question about the issues, e-mail kenplum@aol.com. To contribute electronically to his campaign, go to www.kenplum.com. |
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Announcements |
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If you can charge it, you can recycle it. When your batteries can no longer hold a charge, it's time to recycle. Help create a cleaner and safer environment by keeping potentially harmful chemicals out of your trash. Recycling of rechargeable batteries is available at all Fairfax County Board of Supervisors offices. For helpful information and to locate free collection sites visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling and www.rbrc.org and www.knowtoxics.com. The Access Services branch of the Fairfax County Public Library provides Library services to people with disabilities. In addition to housing the "Coping Collection" in its offices at the Fairfax County Government Center (the Coping Coolection includes books and videos designed to help people manage disabilities), Access Services makes books, programs, and assistive equipment available throughout the County. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library, email Access@fairfaxcounty.gov, or call 703.324.8380, TTY 703.324.8365 for more information about Acess Services. For information on business opportunities in Virginia, visit Virginia Economic Bridge Inc. at www.virginiabusiness.org or email veb@vebinc.org. |
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Delegate Ken & Jane Plum’s Sunday, September 9, 2007 |
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Special guests will be state and local elected officials. Bring your family and friends. There will be food, entertainment, games, and very short speeches. Money raised from the event will help me stay in touch with my constituents and will help elect moderate Democrats to the House of Delegates and the State Senate. Visit my website at www.kenplum for information about sponsorship opportunities or to RSVP. If you would like my views on any issues or if I can be of assistance to you in any way, please email kenplum@aol.com or call my office at 703.758.9733. |
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Calendar of Events |
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Attend a Sierra Club presentation, "Citizens Energy Plan for Virginia," TONIGHT, September 5, 7:00 p.m. at the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School Cafeteria, 7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church (near West Falls Church Metro on the Orange Line). Doors open at 6:15. For more information, contact Linda Burchfiel, 703.506.4310, larva@attglobal.net, or Joshua Low at 804.225.9113, joshua.low@sierraclub.org. The Fairfax County Planning Commission's Environment Committee will hold a public workshop on developing an approach to use the Comprehensive Plan to encourage implementation of green building practices for private sector development. The workshop will be held on Thursday, September 6, 7:00 p.m. in the Board Auditorium, Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning for more information. Discover the world in Reston! Attend the 2007 Reston Multicultural Festival on Saturday, September 8, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza. The event is free. The 8th Annual Virginia Indian Festival will be held this Saturday, September 8, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine, at Riverbend Park in Great Falls. Admission is $8, with kids 2 years and under free. SIDS Mid-Atlantic, The CJ Foundation for SIDS, and Wawa Food Corporation will sponsor the 11th annual Walk to Fight SIDS at Locust State Park, 4701 Locust Shade Drive, in Triangle, Virginia, on Sunday, September 9. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. in the Amphitheater, and the 5 mile walk is from 9 until 11:30. There is a 1 1/2 mile stroller walk for kids. Can't come out and walk? You can donate online at www.sidsma.org and click on Donate to make a secure online donation or download a form. The mission of SIDS Mid-Atlantic is to support family members and others who have been affected by the sudden, unexpected death of an infant and to provide education and outreach to help prevent SIDS. For more information about this event and about SIDS, visit www.sidsma.org. Attend the Sully Quilt Show and Sale, "Stitches of Friendship – Quilts from the Quaker Community," on Sunday, September 9, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Show and Sale will be held at the Sully Historic Site, 3601 Sully Road, Chantilly. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully or call 703.437.1794 for more information. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors cordially invites you to attend a Remembrance Ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Grove on Monday, September 10, 2007, at approximately noon. The ceremony will begin after the morning session of the Board of Supervisors' meeting. Please gather by 11:45 a.m. in the Forum of the Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. For more information, directions, or ADA accommodations, call 703.324.3187, TTY 711 Don't miss the 2007 Women's Conference hosted by Congressman Jim Moran on Saturday, September 15, 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School, 200 S. Carlin Springs Road, Arlington. Special guest will be Queen Noor of Jordan, international advocate for peace and human rights. The conference will feature breakout sessions on a variety of important issues such as financial planning, preventive health care, elder care, and preventing Internet faud and ID theft. A pizza lunch will be served between sessions. To register or for more information visit www.moran.house.gov or call 703.971.4700. Actor Brian Hilton will portray George Washington and describes his life from 1732-1760 at the Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, on Thursday, September 20, 7:30 p.m. The 2007 International Children's Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. This year features young performers from Bolivia, Nepal, Spain, and Sweden. There will be entertainment on four stages featuring over 20 performing groups form near and far including interactive art experiences. Volunteers are also needed. Contact volunteericf07@artsfairfax.org to volunteer or for more information. This year's Commonwealth of Virginia Energy & Sustainability (COVES) Conference will be held on October 16-18 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA. Visit www.covesva.org for registration and conference details. The "2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy – Successful Companies, Engaged Communities" will be held October 24-25 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner. Visit www.creativeeconomies.org for more information. Attend the Family Day Care Provider Professional Development Conference on Tuesday, October 30, at the Waterford at Fair Oaks, 12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax. For more information visit www.infanttoddler.com. The Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council will host a one-day regional conference, "Turning a New Leaf," on Friday, November 9, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College's Annandale campus. The conference will feature tracks on conservation landscapes, green development, and creative stormwater management. Topics include eco-friendly lawns, native alternatives to traditional plantings, backyard forests, rain gardens, stream restoration techniques, and public-private partnerships for green development. Registration has begun. Visit chesapeakelandscape.org for more details. |
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Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum
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Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191 |
Please join us! You are invited to a Family Picnic and Rally with Jane and me and our family and friends on Sunday, September 9, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Temporary Road Park, Reston (Corner of Temporary Road and North Shore Drive near Reston Town Center).