Nor has either made the connection between a good, healthy and productive early-childhood experience with school readiness and success.

Much has been written about the importance of early stimulation for a child's brain development and about quality care for infants and toddlers. Yet government and private investment in programs that address these crucial years is inadequate. While Congress has doubled the investment in Early Head Start, a popular birth-to-3-years program, fewer than 4 percent of the children eligible will be served in 2002.

Why should we care?

A decade ago, a number of governors, led by then-Gov. Bill Clinton, went to then-President George H. Bush and put forth a bipartisan set of education goals for 2000. The first goal was that all children would arrive in school ready to learn. All agreed that meeting this goal would be critical to averting school failure. Research suggests that we have a long way to go to reach this goal.

The U.S. Department of Education study on America's kindergartens reports that: 18 percent of children enter kindergarten without print-familiarity skills; 34 percent don't recognize letters; 26 percent have difficulty accepting peer ideas; 23 percent have trouble forming friendships; and 11 percent exhibit ``potentially disruptive behavior'' such as arguing and 10 percent such as fighting.

How can we expect teachers to succeed when they have a large percentage of their classes not ready for school and lack appropriate resources? All children's learning opportunities are compromised when so many children arrive at school not ready to learn.

We frequently hear calls for universal preschool, increased funding for Head Start, leaving no child behind, more quality child-care and the hiring and training of new teachers to ensure smaller classes.

However, the plans and resources required to implement these goals have neither been identified nor committed.

We must act now to develop a fully integrated plan for all children to arrive at school ready to learn and commit the major re- sources needed to carry out the plan. If we don't act now, we might have to say to parents and teachers: ``Sorry, you can't have the full resources and support you need to deal with all the unprepared children. Do your best -- but, continuing school failure is un- acceptable.''

Wouldn't it be more humane and cost effective to invest real money in coordinated-prevention, early-intervention and school-readiness programs today, while our economy is high and there are real surpluses?

Now is the time for each presidential candidate to be clear about how his administration would address school readiness. Each must provide specific plans and commitments for implementing and paying for a school-readiness program so that the public will support this priority. Without a public mandate, we cannot expect the new president to succeed in a call for real action.

Most observers predict that the control margin in the 107th Congress in 2001 will be slim -- no matter which party wins the majority.

With redistricting coming for the 2002 elections, we'll be in full campaign mode for an additional two years. It is unlikely that a divided Congress will marshal the political will and bipartisan support to undertake this significant new investment for young children.

With no presidential or congressional mandate, the country will continue to wage only skirmishes for young children even as most of us know that to address the school-readiness issue successfully, we must declare and wage a protracted war. Will the candidates of compassionate conservatism and practical idealism lead America in this battle?

William W. Harris is founder and treasurer of KidsPac and senior fellow at Tufts University's College of Citizenship and Public Service.

Copyright 2000 Miami Herald

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