Early childhood education advocates and stakeholders discussed the wide-ranging benefits of quality parenting, child care and pre-kindergarten through third-grade schooling during a news conference Monday in Amarillo that focused on policy recommendations for Texas’ 85th legislative session. There is a need to launch a major public policy initiative to improve state-funded child care and early-learning programs in Texas, those at the conference said, because of the positive effect the programs have on academic success, particularly for youth from low-income families. read more