Low-income students start school already trailing their higher-income peers, and many will struggle for years without ever catching up. But that gap goes far beyond pure academics, and so too must the policies aimed at addressing it. To ensure we keep the promise of our educational system and give every child a chance at being upwardly mobile, we should target our limited early childhood education resources towards the children who need it most and make those programs as meaningful as possible. To meet the needs of those kids, we must fund pre-Kindergarten programs that enshrine the non-academic skills which research shows are crucial to future success, while offering their families the wrap-around services they need to continue that learning at home. (author abstract)