State Senator Anthony Cannella, Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin, and Merced Police Chief Norm Andrade paid a visit to students at Shaffer Elementary School in Atwater Tuesday morning. They were there to get a glimpse of how a high quality preschool is preparing students for the future and helping to bridge the achievement gap.
The visitors to the school then met to discuss early education as an effective crime and dropout prevention strategy. Studies have shown that children who attend high-quality preschool are up to 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school.
