Pittsburg Morning Sun -

Gary Brunk has been an advocate for early childhood education programs for more than three decades. In no time prior to now has he seen a funding situation like the in which Kansas programs now find themselves.  “I don’t think there’s been a time in my work life when there’s been such a threat to basic services that serve kids and families,” Brunk, president of Kansas Action For Children, said Thursday following a KAC rally at Pittsburg State University’s Veterans Memorial.

The rally, sponsored by KAC, brought together state and local early childhood education professionals and supporters in a show of unity against the proposed cuts to the state’s Children Initiative Fund, which provides funding for programs such as preschool, Smart Start and Parents As Teachers. Last month, lawmakers in the Kansas House and Senate presented budget proposals that included cutting up to $12 million from the CIF.

The rally was brief, as it lasted not much longer than 20 minutes, but the message was clear: no more cuts.  “The state had made a lot of cuts,” Brunk said, “but I don’t think we can cut further. I think (more cuts) would set us back a decade, and I don’t think we can afford to do that.”

Mary Baskett, executive director of the Kansas Head Start Association, said that if the proposed cuts become a reality, less Kansas children will receive the development programs they need to succeed.  “There are 28 Head Start programs in Kansas, and every one of them is working hard to make plans if in fact the cuts do happen,” Baskett said. “But, depending on the level of cuts, it’s not going to take very much before they’ll have to turn people away. We already have too many kids on a waiting list right now. We’ll all pay a price if there are more cuts.”

Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton and former NPC President Gordon Elliott were guest speakers at Thursday’s event, which was one of seven KAC bus tour rallies scheduled this week. Horton said children who receive a quality education early in life are less likely to be in trouble with the law later in life.

According to information provided by KAC, children who do not participate in an early childhood program are 70 percent more likely than their peers to be arrested for a violent crime before their 18th birthday. Another study shows that at-risk children who had not attended an early childhood program were five times more likely to be chronic law-breakers at age 27.  “The best way to fight crime and to reduce crime is to prevent crime from happening,” Horton said. “To do that, we need to focus on our children. If kids take the right path in the beginning, they are more likely to stay on that right path.”

The focus of Elliott’s comments centered around the importance to the Kansas workforce of early childhood programs. Elliott said many of the skills children learn during their preschool years are the same skills business owners depend upon employees having.  “Businesses have a huge opportunity in this state to get a good return on their investment by investing in early childhood development,” he said.

The KAC Kansas Promise Tour made stops in Topeka and Leawood on Thursday. Scheduled stops today include Wichita, Hutchinson, Salina and Junction City. For more information, visit www.kansaspromise.com.

Brett Dalton can be reached at 620-231-2600 x135 brett.dalton@morningsun.net