How does a family of four survive on $40,000 a year in the Bay Area? Every day is a new and difficult decision: food or diapers? Electricity or water?

New research from SmartAsset caught my eye this week. According to the study, the average cost of living for a family of four in California is $138,357/year. That includes only necessities: housing, childcare, food, and transportation, among other things. The state with the lowest average cost of living is Mississippi, at $88,895.

I couldn’t help but think of our incoming BASIC Fund families, who have an average income of $40,436—less than half of the lowest average cost of living in the country, and only 29% of the cost of living in California. Early childhood education is the most effective way to break the cycle of poverty, but when that education can cost as much as a second mortgage, families without financial resources suffer.

This year, we awarded BASIC Fund scholarships to 611 new students. 98% of these students will graduate high school, and they’ll be five times more likely to graduate college, meaning they’ll likely earn 62% more than their non-college peers. Early investment in education pays off in the long term, even if parents need help along the way.

Every parent wants the very best for their child, and many parents will tell you that they are just trying to give their children more than they had. ALL parents should be able to access educational opportunities for their children. They should feel confident in their child’s academic experience, and the security of knowing they are safe and happy at their school. Not all families feel this confidence in their local public school, and they seek alternatives. This is where we come in.

While talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not. As a community, what else can we do to level the playing field for children and families who don’t have equal opportunities?