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I truly believe that the most important obligation of any parent is to create an enabling environment for children to reach every goal they are willing to work hard enough to achieve. My daily prayer is that my two children won't have to shelf their heart's desires because I couldn't nurture their interests with the necessary time and resources. In a 2010 CNN Money report, 15 of the top 20 careers with the most job growth require training in math or science. We can position our county to be a regional leader by dedicating more resources to prepare our children for the careers of tomorrow.

The 2010 Maryland State Assessment (MSA) reflects that the percentage of Prince George's County eighth-graders reaching proficiency in math fell 4 percent since 2009, from 45 percent to 41 percent. And though we've made progress in science, improving from 40 percent to 44 percent, we remain 24 percent below the Maryland state average. As a state, Maryland will become ground zero for the next generation of science and technology jobs. Will Prince George's County be positioned to compete with the rest of the state and region?

The impassioned voices of residents calling for change in public school funding are healthy and necessary for a developing democracy. Historically reserved for an election year, the hundreds of concerned residents attending town halls and public hearings demonstrated how important public education funding is to our county and our future. For those of us who use budgets in our homes, we know that budgets are not merely numbers on a page but rather a way of expressing priorities and values. We can say a lot about our county if we create an environment capable of producing the next great innovator, the next Bill Gates or Sergey Brin.

For those of us who use Google every day, Brin represents what is possible for our county. Brin is the co-founder of the most successful technology company in the last decade. And as a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Brin is a product of the Prince George's County Public Schools system. Fortunately for Brin, his parents were able to use their background in math and science to support their son at home. For thousands of Prince George's children who have a natural curiosity but whose parents are not mathematicians or scientists, the Owens Science Center in Greenbelt is a way to close the gap.

The Owens Science Center is an invaluable resource that since 2008 has seen approximately 2,000 to 6,000 students monthly. The science center is one of the many ways parents and teachers can better prepare to support our children. At the center, students are introduced to in-depth science content by teachers who are equipped with interactive instructional strategies. As a parent, I believe our homes are our children's first classroom — laboratories for success. Parents can use one of the center's monthly planetarium programs to expose our children to "Follow the Drinking Gourd," a program that demonstrates how the slaves used the North Star to travel. For the child at heart, parents can enjoy the Challenger Learning Center (CLC). The CLC gives students the chance to participate as astronauts with their classmates to perform missions on a spacecraft while the flight controllers communicate from a remote location

As the county looks to the halls of Upper Marlboro and the streets of Annapolis for direction, we must also look within and demonstrate that we are prepared to take part in our children's education. Let us imagine a day when a child entering our schools for the first time today has a chance to revolutionize how the world communicates and interacts tomorrow. Let us imagine a day when that child will not have to leave their home county to work in their field. Let us be active participants in this movement. Let us write the next chapter in the story of Prince George's County.

Curtis Valentine of Fort Washington is the former regional field director for the 2008 Obama for America Campaign in Prince George's County.