Income inequality is a widely discussed issue these days. President Obama talks about it. Paul Krugman writes about it. Even Mitch McConnell and John Boehner think it's bad. There is a lot of talk but not a lot of action.
Imagine if we, in Vermont, could tackle income inequality at one of its roots.
A major cause of income inequality is inequality of opportunity. Unequal opportunity starts very early in a person's life, before a child enters school.
Besides the obvious factors like parents' income, there are more subtle differences. Some families have more books and read to their children more often than others. Many parents work two jobs and don't have as much time to spend with their children. This includes time to speak with them and, in the process, develop the child's vocabulary.