Letter: Funding high-quality early education

High-quality early education is essential for prosperous communities. It allows parents to participate in the labor force, supports economic growth, and is strongly linked to children's current and future development and well-being. Yet fewer than 20% of Pima County 3 and 4 year-olds receive high-quality early education. Cost is the barrier: many working parents can afford only poor quality child-care. The Committee for Economic Development found that in 2016 the child-care industry in the US produced revenue totaling $47.2 billion itself and spill-over revenue of $52.1 billion in other industries. As an emeritus professor in The Eller School of Business, I urge the Pima County Board of Supervisors to take action this spring: fund the Pima County Preschool Program (PCPIP) to provide scholarships for high-quality care for thousands of our at-risk children. It's a smart investment, and our children and our prosperity are at stake .