Buckeye State residents understand our future depends on giving our children a good education.

And, more research indicates, the building of that foundation begins in the pre-school stage.

Yet Ohio is 33rd in the nation for state spending on pre-schoolers, according to the National Institution for Early Education Research. As part of its look at how the pandemic affected preschools, NIEER found spending on such programs decreased by more than $12 million in Ohio for 2020-21.

“Ohio is not within reach of serving at least 70% of 4-year-olds across state preschool, Head Start and special education,” researchers said.

According to the Capital Journal, Ohio did not use any of its federal funding provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for pre-school education.

And while more than $72 million of other federal funding was made available for preschools, Ohio used only $60 million.

Lawmakers have focused on any number of issues that have nothing to do with better serving Ohioans. Children are precious. Doing our best for them is the only way to ensure a bright future.