High school graduation is just around the corner for thousands of Prince William County Public Schools students. As we mark this important milestone for new graduates, county residents can take pride that we are building even stronger educational foundations for the youngsters who will follow.

Most researchers agree that high-quality, early-childhood education makes a world of difference for students. You need only to visit a PWCS elementary school to see how full-day kindergarten equips youngsters with a solid basis on which to build educational success.

While the first full-day kindergarten classes began in 2002, Superintendent Steven L. Walts led the effort that ultimately brought full-day kindergarten to every PWCS elementary school in 2008.

Research indicates that quality pre-K programs can boost school readiness substantially for disadvantaged children, leading to improving high school graduation rates, lower rates of juvenile delinquency, less substance abuse and higher adult earnings.

That’s why PWCS pre-K classes have grown from 17 to 52 in recent years. Though this need still outstrips the ability to provide services to all youngsters, PWCS now serves more than 730 students, up from 306 students 11 years ago. Programs include Head Start, VPI – Virginia Preschool Initiative, VPI+ and Title I. The specific names indicate differing funding sources, but the programs deliver largely the same high-quality results, preparing students to learn and parents to assist them. Five external reviews of PWCS pre-school programs all produced positive ratings.

That’s not surprising. PWCS provides vital resources, technology tools and professional learning opportunities for staff to ensure the success of both full-day kindergarten and pre-K programs. There are more than 46 different professional development courses and workshops on mathematics, reading, writing, oral language development, hands-on science and literacy, specifically designed for pre-K and kindergarten teachers and teaching assistants.

Our early childhood programs also help to identify opportunities to meet the specialized needs of students with differing challenges and needs. They’re part of concerted and ongoing commitment of PWCS teachers and support staff, the superintendent, and school board members to improve the success of every student.

It’s important to note that, back in 2008, 83 percent of PWCS students graduated on time. Our latest on-time graduation rate was almost 92 percent. That includes students who began kindergarten about the time that PWCS began implementing its full-day program. And the research would support that this is one important factor leading to graduation and life-long success.

As pre-K programs expand, our foundation for building student success grows too. We can only imagine the short- and long-term benefits for students and for our entire community. I hope that we continue this expansion in pre-K as we look at converting the 12 classrooms at Washington Reid (Potomac District) into pre-K and Child Find classrooms.