What was your first word? Most of us can’t remember, but our parents might. By talking and reading to children, we teach them to communicate, a little bit at a time. But what happens when parents don’t have the time or resources?

The “word gap”—approximately 40 million words that some infants hear and others don’t—is a controversial topic, since parents are often blamed for not talking to their children enough. The disparity goes on to affect early literacy, academic achievement, and even graduation rates. Students who aren’t reading at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, making breaking the cycle of poverty nearly impossible. In other words, the more your parents talk to you as a child, the more likely you are to succeed.

New research from UC Berkeley, however, shows that income inequality plays the main role in word acquisition in infancy. The study found that as money became tight, especially towards the end of the month, parents didn’t have adequate time to talk to their children. Instead, putting food on the table took priority. Educational interventions like preschool and caretaking made a significant difference, but those options were often unaffordable. Preschool is not a requirement, but it is a tremendous opportunity for all of us.

In 2020, The BASIC Fund expanded our K-8th grade scholarship program to include Preschool. Today we have 591 scholars who started receiving our tuition assistance before Kindergarten.

When parents don’t have the resources to succeed, children’s achievement suffers. The educational access that The BASIC Fund provides ensures that students have the attention and education they need regardless of income. By eliminating the word gap starting in preschool, we’re keeping our students in the conversation. They always have something to say.

Giving low-income families access to high quality early learning opportunities for their children, like seats in Preschool, makes a huge impact on a child’s path towards literacy and lifelong learning.

What else can we do as a community to ensure all students have access to high quality preschool?