Thursday, September 6, is Primary Election Day in Massachusetts. Bay State readers, don’t forget to vote!

The 2012 election season is in full swing. It occurs at a time of great challenges. One of the most difficult is how to invest our resources to ensure a strong future for the country and the commonwealth. We encourage candidates to promote a solution that research consistently tells us yields great benefits for children, society and taxpayers alike: Invest in high-quality early education and literacy. We encourage voters to raise the issue in candidate forums and outreach to local media.

Check out the new Election 2012 page on our website. It provides tips for voters on how to focus attention on high-quality early education and reading proficiency this campaign season and information for candidates interested in becoming champions for young children.

We urge candidates to heed the advice of Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman.  “Our country will be unable to compete in the global economy,” Heckman has written to Capitol Hill leaders, “if it does not address the increasing numbers of young children who are not prepared for success in school, career and life.”