Think about how smoothly a long road trip can go if you prepare in advance. You fill the gas tank and check the oil. You get directions and a map. Maybe you pack some snacks and beverages to keep the passengers happy and cut down on delays along the way. All of that preparation helps ensure you'll reach your destination on time.

Preparation is just as important to children about to embark on the long road that takes them from kindergarten to their place in the adult world of work. Study after study has shown that children who aren't prepared when they start kindergarten lag behind their peers for years and that high-quality preschool programs can get them on the road with the skills they need for learning.

This is particularly true of children who live in poverty -- more than a third of the state's residents under the age of 5 -- or live with a parent who has less than a high school education, are learning English as a second language or have disabilities or developmental delays.

To that end, the state last year introduced Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts in 845 classrooms serving 11,000 3- and 4-year-olds. An analysis released Monday by the state Education Department said nearly 70 percent of the youngsters now have the age-appropriate skills and behavior, and another 25 percent demonstrated that they're moving in the right direction.

A widely regarded study conducted in Ypsilanti, Mich., found that every dollar spent on quality preschool was worth $17 in the future due to reductions in the number of students who needed special education services or to repeat grades, lower incidence of crime or reliance on welfare programs and increased lifetime earnings of children who subsequently succeeded in school.

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts cost $75 million last year, and Gov. Ed Rendell proposed a 16 percent increase in his 2008-09 budget. If state legislators agree, and we think they should, they'll help to put 1,000 more children on the right road to the future.