Title
Amending Chapter 2.02 of the Administrative Code pertaining to the duties of the Office of Financial Empowerment; authorizing support for early learning.
Body
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Empowerment was created with the following goals: to help Saint Paul residents achieve financial health; to help Saint Paul neighborhoods achieve community wealth; to ensure Saint Paul residents live in stable, accessible, fair, and equitable communities; and to ensure Saint Paul community members are engaged in community and public decision-making; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Empowerment administers programs that focus on the economic stability of Saint Paul families and the future academic success of children with their CollegeBound Saint Paul program; and
WHEREAS, according to 2015-2019 American Community Survey data, there are approximately 8,349 three and four-year-old children living in Saint Paul, with approximately 4622 (55%) living at or below 185% of the federal poverty level; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota is the fourth-most expensive state for childcare, putting a strain on Saint Paul families and sometimes forcing parents out of the workforce; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota has some of the worst education inequities in the nation, and researchers have found that “the persistence of the educational achievement gap imposes on the United States the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession”; and
WHEREAS, the National Institute for Early Education Research reports that a universal early childhood program, which increases the enrollment of children from low-income and ethnic/racial minority families, could have powerful effects in reducing the kindergarten entry achievement gaps; and
WHEREAS, children who attend quality early learning programs are more likely to read proficiently by the third grade, more likely to graduate, more likely to attend college, and therefore achieve future economic success; and
WHEREAS, the lifetime economic values of ...
Click here for full text