»Op-Ed » Thriving children- A strong education will strengthen all
Article Last Updated: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 9:18pm
Children in La Plata County have several things going for them compared with state averages: They are less likely to be born to an unwed mother or to be born into a family in poverty, and their birth weight will be higher.
And beginning a few years later, when it comes to all-important education they will do better than the average. They will attend an all-day kindergarten, learning test scores will be higher, and they will be slightly more likely to graduate from high school.
One in seven children in La Plata County is born to a mother with less than a high school education; the state average is one in five. Because it is the mother’s education level rather than the father’s that usually determines how far their children will go in school, that is also significant.
Another leg up.
On the other hand, a negative: La Plata County children are less likely to have health insurance.
These statistics, and more, are from the latest Colorado Children’s Campaign report and draw mostly from 2009 data. The county-by-county report was released last week.
Although children in La Plata County do fare better than the average, especially in the critical education categories, the percentages should be much better in order to return a productive and rewarding life.
Third-grade test scores should be higher for all children; college – at least two years – should be completed by every student. That means beginning college-track courses in the middle school years, with a strong academic push through – and including – the senior year of high school.
Parents with two years of college – or more – are much more likely to have their children enroll and be successful in college. With college usually comes more family income and better health. Those with higher incomes are also less likely to smoke. Recent statistics show the unemployment rate among the college-educated is half what it is for the less-well-educated during this current recession.
If you see an opportunity to encourage a young person to take their schooling more seriously, or to expand their horizons with an educational project of some sort, do it. It would be rewarding to have La Plata County’s scores climb in subsequent Colorado Children’s Campaign reports. That would mean that more children will have a stronger possibility of a more enjoyable and productive life.
Children in La Plata County have several things going for them compared with state averages: They are less likely to be born to an unwed mother or to be born into a family in poverty, and their birth weight will be higher.
And beginning a few years later, when it comes to all-important education they will do better than the average. They will attend an all-day kindergarten, learning test scores will be higher, and they will be slightly more likely to graduate from high school.
One in seven children in La Plata County is born to a mother with less than a high school education; the state average is one in five. Because it is the mother’s education level rather than the father’s that usually determines how far their children will go in school, that is also significant.
Another leg up.
On the other hand, a negative: La Plata County children are less likely to have health insurance.
These statistics, and more, are from the latest Colorado Children’s Campaign report and draw mostly from 2009 data. The county-by-county report was released last week.
Although children in La Plata County do fare better than the average, especially in the critical education categories, the percentages should be much better in order to return a productive and rewarding life.
Third-grade test scores should be higher for all children; college – at least two years – should be completed by every student. That means beginning college-track courses in the middle school years, with a strong academic push through – and including – the senior year of high school.
Parents with two years of college – or more – are much more likely to have their children enroll and be successful in college. With college usually comes more family income and better health. Those with higher incomes are also less likely to smoke. Recent statistics show the unemployment rate among the college-educated is half what it is for the less-well-educated during this current recession.
If you see an opportunity to encourage a young person to take their schooling more seriously, or to expand their horizons with an educational project of some sort, do it. It would be rewarding to have La Plata County’s scores climb in subsequent Colorado Children’s Campaign reports. That would mean that more children will have a stronger possibility of a more enjoyable and productive life.
