Public Health professionals have long recognized the relationship between income, wealth and overall life expectancy. The higher one’s income, the longer they can be expected to live. Education plays a key role in how much income a person can make. While we still see differences in life expectancy along racial lines, we do know that among people of the same race those with a higher educational attainment can be expected to live longer.  San Mateo County the Big Lift is an initiative lead by the San Mateo County Office of Education, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation that is working to increase third grading reading proficiency by increasing access to high-quality early childhood education, which can lead to better graduation rates. While the Big Lift is an educational initiative it should also be seen as a public health intervention targeting some of the county’s most vulnerable young people.