Pre-K matters. This simple but profoundly important statement is the title of an infographic on the website of The Urban Child Institute. Pre-K is an investment with high returns. We have known for a while that early education, specifically pre-K, pays off in a student's success in school. Children who have experienced quality pre-K education are less likely to need special education or repeat a grade, and are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college. 

There is much that parents can do to provide the greatest opportunities for their son or daughter right from birth. In Memphis, many of our children are already at a disadvantage in learning before they even step through the schoolroom door. Only 42 percent of our city's children arrive at kindergarten prepared to learn. And studies show that when a child starts behind, he will probably stay behind.