Before investing more in colleges how about thinking of the Little Ones and help them succeed through high school..and yes if possible onto college..

I have not heard any feed back about the idea of helping young students enter kindergarten and first grade at a more mature age, so they are developmentally prepared to do the important learning at those ages and mature to take advantage of college level programs in high school...and head off to college with more skills and confidence. Massachusetts (the Berkshires) has a two year program for the younger k'garten kids.

Many parents wanted that for all kids (and the work and options really do open up fast after first grade. When parents have small children, are working or trying to keep all their needs straight, and often end up having daycare or divorce factors to schedule in, there's hardly time for kids to be outdoors (in their backyard or neighborhood, visit family and friends, take some down time on the weekends etc).

We could have learning teams and life skill support for all kids to join programs and stay fit as they are willing. Often it's those 'missing links in the chain' that keep kids stuck in a rut, maybe caught up in family or friend struggles if not their own and so on. We can try to form groups to really think through many aspects of rearing kids, being parents and community members in small towns (and larger ones). 

Small towns are more like large families (and often there are enough relatives when families are in the area for a generation or two, or grade school and high school friends keep in touch if not find partners or become parents with (or both but not necessarily.. often a pregnancy ends a relationship though generally with more education and social support people could perhaps be more clear about their options and try to talk about plans with their partner in advance. 

There are no ways to know how anyone will respond to the life-changing, important challenge and opportunity of being a parent or more involved caregiver. Again school communities and daycares could try to be sensitive to the real-life needs and support that would help nurture pregnant women, infants and young children.

Those are their future customers or clients..and the healthier and happier they are, the more likely they can focus and succeed in school. That holds true throughout the school years and into college. Okay, thanks for letting me share, and I'll aim to post this on my livfully blog where many dicey issues are discussed.

To shed some light on the medical and street drug issue is a key point, yet whatever issues are weighing folks down could also find their way to the open forum (not naming names...but clarifying that the human condition is complex and our systems need reinventing to respond effectively to the modern issues.