On first glance, Melissa Hitzel, a stay-at-home mother of two, might not seem like the first parent one thinks of when arguing for pre-k, but in fact, her family's whole future has been changed by early education. The Hitzel's older child, their son, David, is autistic and has been in a full-day, public, special-education program since he was three. This early intervention has been great for David, whose once-numerous problems, Mrs. Hitzel says, are now mainly social. This anecdote alone makes a pretty good argument for early education, but it's with the Hitzel's second child, their daughter Megan, that the truly remarkable story begins.

When Megan was two years old, she had a vocabulary of fewer than ten words, and the Hitzels, mindful of their son's early symptoms, feared that their daughter, too, suffered from autism. They sought professional help and were told that Megan was not, in fact, autistic but was instead mimicking her older brother. Naturally, they were enormously relieved; however, they also learned that Megan was seriously language delayed and that, without immediate intervention, she might never catch up.

As in all states, New Jersey's school districts - including the Hitzel's home town of Lawrenceville - offer public pre-k for children with special needs. The Hitzels would have pursued pre-k for Megan even without the language problems, but Mrs. Hitzel admits it would have been more difficult. "The special-needs classification did make it easier. The private schools are so expensive, and the waiting lists are very, very long. Plus, because of David, we knew the county program worked."

Still, Mrs. Hitzel believes parents can and must find the right program for their children, though she acknowledges it takes work. She advises checking available programs' teacher certification requirements and approved curricula. Most importantly she says, visit the classroom. "Are the kids happy? Are they clean? Is the room clean and orderly? Is the teacher engaging with the kids? Is there an open-door policy for parents? These are the things you look for."

During her first year in pre-k, Megan received two-and-a-half hours each day of speech and occupational therapy in a class with other special-needs children. She made outstanding progress, and the following year, Megan's speech was declared age appropriate.

Then, the following January, the state opened an Early Launch to Learning Initiative (ELLI) class in their district and the Hitzel's signed Megan right up. The ELLI program is an integrated, full-day program, which Mrs. Hitzel describes as outstanding. "The teacher was great. The class was fun but ordered, and Megan flourished. She was like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly." Today, Megan has been declassified as special needs, and she began regular kindergarten, on time and prepared, in September.

Mrs. Hitzel is understandably thrilled with the results of her family's pre-k experiences. "Megan loves school, and she knows what's expected of her. She tells me she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. And my son tells me 'I love you, Mommy.' I know it's all because of early education."

Mrs. Hitzel insists that formalized education before kindergarten is necessary for all children, and she encourages parents to be as involved as possible with their children's pre-k class. She recommends getting a sheet of weekly topics and visiting the classroom whenever time permits. "It says, 'Mommy and Daddy think this is important.'"

She also believes pediatricians can make a crucial difference in securing pre-k for all children. "Parents do what they say," she says. "They should be prescribing pre-k just like vaccinations or check-ups, as an essential part of good parenting."

Ultimately, though, it's all about results for kids. "It gets them ready for school and excited about learning, which can carry through their whole lives. And," she adds; "you can bet that every April, I happily pay my tax bill."