My state representative knows that early childhood education gives every child a great start.

I agree, and as a mother of two well-balanced (most of the time) teenagers, I can look back and feel grateful that I had the tools to prepare them for life from the very beginning.

After my first child was born, I read everything I could on good parenting skills so that I knew what to do when my daughter looked at me for the first time and said, “NO!”

I knew that reading to my kids was very important, and when they were old enough, I sent them to a nearby preschool where they learned how to get along with other kids and follow the teacher’s directions.

My kids were lucky. When they started kindergarten, they were prepared. Unfortunately, half of the children in a typical Washington kindergarten class are woefully behind on their first day of school. This shouldn’t be the norm and Rep. Roger Goodman is working to change it.

In Olympia, Rep. Goodman passed legislation to provide early education opportunities for more Washington preschoolers, worked to protect education funding, and helped to put our public education system on the path to reform. Goodman knows that giving kids a solid foundation early in life is a fundamental responsibility of our state.

Please vote for Roger Goodman. He’s working for our children.

Kathleen Reynolds, Redmond