At the Chicano Federation’s San Ysidro Child Development Center at Casa Familiar, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher and Council President Tony Young held the fourth meeting in their seven-month education listening tour. The meeting, which focused on the importance of early education, is part of a listening series designed to gain a better understanding of San Diego’s education system.

    Early childhood education focuses on giving children the stimulation and experiences necessary for physical, emotional, and intellectual growth. Studies show that children who are given the opportunity to learn at an early age generally need fewer, costly special education classes and are more likely to graduate from high school and to hold jobs.

    “Every parent wants the very best for their children,” said Assemblyman Fletcher. “As a parent and a legislator, I know that nothing should be more important than ensuring our children have the strong foundation they need to succeed in life. Quality early education builds an employable, educated workforce so the investment in early education not only has substantial benefits for children, but for taxpayers and our economy.”

    The seven-month education listening tour, which started in May, focuses on drawing attention to effective educational practices currently in our schools and other ideas that should be considered in efforts to transform the public education system. 

    Fletcher and Young, both passionate about education and serious about ensuring success for every child in San Diego, are committed to bettering our school system. Step by step, ideas generated from the tour will build on the premise that our region’s schools need to be great places to teach and to learn, and where all kids are supported to maximum achievement.

    The tour’s remaining themes include:

    September-Career Technical Education: Career and technical education is a core pillar in education. As the use of technology is accelerating, education should also change to reflect the needs of the workplace. The purpose of this forum will be to discuss the increased need for information technology and career training curriculum in schools.

    October-College Readiness: What a child learns in the early stages of educational development plays a key role in guiding their preparation for postsecondary education. It is critical that San Diego school curriculum provide rigorous academic preparation and parent support so that students have what they need to be college-ready.

    November-What Did We Learn? The last meeting will focus on discussing the tour’s discovery items and how to implement them.

    “With these topics as our goal, the tour is intended to be part of a journey toward a better future for San Diego,” said Fletcher