As a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding access to books and early literacy programs for preschoolers, we know the value of a high-quality early childhood education. Simply put, it's transformational. When young children learn to love books and get acclimated to an educational and social setting before kindergarten, they are more likely to thrive throughout their educational journeys and develop a lifelong passion for learning and self-discovery.

So much of our development and learning happens before the age of five, making early disparities even harder to overcome as children grow up. If children are behind in reading comprehension by 3rd grade, they are already at risk of failing to graduate high school. By not adequately supporting children – as well as their families and teachers – in early childhood, we rob them of their futures. We rob our country of living up to the ideals of the American dream. That's why early education matters.

The solution? We must become a nation where every child from birth to Kindergarten has access to books, an adult who reads with them every day, and a strong foundation for a lifelong love of learning. For too many, we fall short of this vision.

Yet despite the importance of this issue, it has yet to be discussed by presidential candidates during a national debate this year. While important education issues such as college debt and affordability have been discussed, there has not been a single segment on early childhood education.

We are calling on ABC and Univision to ask every Democratic candidate about their vision for early childhood education, and their plans to ensure that every child will have the chance to thrive, at the upcoming democratic presidential primary debate in Houston on September 12th. After a nominee is selected, we will seek to ensure this issue will be discussed during a general election debate next year.

Will you join us in asking ABC and Univision to #askearly and question candidates about early childhood education at the upcoming debate? If you have any questions, please contact info@booksforkids.org.