President Obama spoke to Northwestern University last week announcing a mission to enroll 6 million children in high-quality preschool. 

"If we make high-quality preschool available to every child, not only will we give our kids a safe place to learn and grow while their parents go to work; we’ll give them the start that they need to succeed in school, and earn higher wages, and form more stable families of their own," Obama said in his speech. "In fact, today, I’m setting a new goal: By the end of this decade, let’s enroll 6 million children in high-quality preschool. That is an achievable goal that we know will make our workforce stronger."

Obama began his speech presenting statistics and updates on jobs, the economy, and more. With these improvements, Obama said, it is important to make sure "our children are prepared and our workers are prepared to fill the jobs of the future." 

There are 8.1 million 3 and 4-year-olds in the U.S., said an article on EdCentral.com. "To date, about half of kids that age are enrolled in pre-K, with about half of those children [one in four, total] enrolled in publicly funded pre-K and the remaining half enrolled in private pre-K programs."

"If we redesign our high schools, we’ll graduate more kids with the real-world skills that lead directly to a good job in the new economy," Obama said. "If we invest more in job training and apprenticeships, we’ll help more workers fill more good jobs that are coming back to this country. If we make it easier for students to pay off their college loans, we’ll help a whole lot of young people breathe easier and feel freer to take the jobs they really want. So look, let’s do this -- let’s keep reforming our education system to make sure young people at every level have a shot at success, just like folks at Northwestern do."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor