By Steven Flagg
Guest Column
We just spent a week with our grandchildren, and we are tired and happy. How can you not love a three-year-old boy and an almost six-year-old girl full of life, energy, love and a desire to learn? Sponges come to mind as they soak up our love and the opportunities for learning.
As we played and interacted with them, it was demonstrated repeatedly that they are being prepared for success.
Our three-year-old grandson was counting backwards as he launched his rockets, singing songs like itsy bitsy spider and the ABC song, and demonstrating critical thinking skills with his imaginative train layouts.
Our almost six-year-old granddaughter who is now in kindergarten blew us away with her knowledge and ability to learn new concepts and solve problems.
Yes, we are proud grandparents; still our anecdotal experiences shouted to us the value of early childhood education. Both of our grandchildren have been in childcare facilities since they were infants. The facility they attended provides daycare but also age-appropriate Pre-K education. And the skills demonstrated by our three-year-old grandson and actual kindergarten evaluations of our granddaughter told us that a Pre-K experience is a valuable, worthwhile investment.
So why isn’t a Pre-K program available to all children? You do not have to do more than a Google search to find documented evidence of the social, cultural and economic value for a community that has made the investment in their youngest citizens.
We in Lucas County are having a start-stop, it costs too much, where do we find the resources Pre-K conversation. It is a very agonizing, frustrating moment toward hopefully fruitful progress.
At the March 12 Lucas County Commissioners meeting, Universal Pre-K was on the agenda. Commissioners inferred that HOPE Toledo, which has been providing childcare programing since 2021, had difficulty in recruiting financial support from local business, which left a funding gap and unpaid bills that the County feels compelled to fill.
Commissioner Lisa Sobecki leveled a not-so-subtle rebuke and challenged Ohio’s state legislature, governor and the local business community.
According to a March 16, 2025, The Blade editorial, “Listen-up not Shut-up,” Sobecki was intemperate in her demands and remarks about business and was not putting up her money but that of taxpayers.
Valid points but had the editorial board viewed the video of the meeting at the 54th minute mark, they would have seen a frustrated commissioner who suggested that businesses could offer more than financial support through lobbying efforts in Columbus. In other words, put up or stop complaining that Pre-K is not available. Her remarks were emotional and brash, but the substance made a lot of sense.
Certainly, local businesses must ensure their survival as a first priority. And there may be resources that can be diverted by the city and county. But making this argument just diverts us from finding solutions. And businesses cannot thrive without stable effective governance that significantly contributes to a thriving local economy.
A universal Pre-K program may just be the prescription for a county that has been losing population for decades. Young families would see the savings and potential for their children, and with magnet schools like those offered by the Toledo Public Schools, they would view Lucas County as a good place to live. This is exactly the demographic we want to recruit. Business would thrive in a growing economy created by a larger employment base and young families in their prime spending years.
This may be an insurmountable goal, but a successful universal Pre-K county wide program is possible with state and local government investment along with a business community that does more than give lip service to supporting our youth. With a long-term return of $7-$10 for every $1 invested in Pre-K, this might be the prescription we write to secure our future.