Alaska is one of only nine states in the entire nation that does not have a statewide early
education program. Currently, the state does not fund any early-education programs. Research
demonstrates the importance of brain development from birth to five years of age, and there is no
doubt those early years are linked to student performance on benchmark testing in mathematics,
reading and writing and the HSQGE. Serious consideration should be given to implementing
the Ready to Read, Ready to Learn task force report.
