why business should support early childhood education

8/8/2019 Why Business Should Support Early Childhood Education

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Why Business ShouldSupport Early Childhood Educatio


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MISSIONThe Institute or a Competitive Workorce (ICW) is the non-proft, non-partisan, 501(c)3 afliate o the

U.S. Chamber o Commerce. ICW promotes the rigorous educational standards and eective job training

systems needed to preserve the strength o Americas greatest economic resource, its workorce. Through its

events, publications, and policy initiativesand drawing upon the Chambers extensive network o 3 million

membersICW connects the best minds in American business with the most innovative thinkers in American

education, helping them work together to ensure the nations continued prosperity.

The U.S. Chamber o Commerce is the worlds largest business ederation representing the

interests o more than 3 million businesses o all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state

and local chambers and industry associations.

Institute or a Competitive Workorce, 2010


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U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1

Ready, Set, Go!

Since the end o the Sputnik era, our nation has lacked the

urgency to make education a national priorityuntil now. Global

competition or human talent and innovation, long-standing

educational achievement gaps, low high school graduation rates,

and the pending retirement o 77 million baby boomers have placed

tremendous workorce pressures on American business. These

pressures, i not checked, will jeopardize our national economic

security and the viability o the American dream.

Because the business community understands the importance

o having a world-class education system, the mission o the

U.S. Chamber o Commerces Institute or a Competitive Workorce

(ICW) is to promote high educational standards and eective

workorce training. Achieving a world-class system, however,

begins with high-quality early learning opportunities or children

rom birth to age ve. As a result, ICW has expanded its agenda

with the launch o the Early Childhood Education Initiative.

Why Business Should Support Early Childhood Education


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2 INSTITUTE FOR A COMPETITIVE WORKFORCE

The Early Childhood Education Initiative

Early childhood education has emerged as a critical issue

or many Chamber members, with a growing number

actively supporting early learning initiatives in their states.

The Early Childhood Education Initiative will ocus on early

learning as an investment in workorce development.

ICW, uniquely positioned to leverage the U.S. Chambers

business ederation representing the interests o more than

3 million businesses o all sizes, sectors, and regions, as

well as state and local chambers and industry associations,

received nancial support rom The Pew Charitable Trusts,

PNC Bank, and Knowledge Universe or this initiative.

The Early Childhood Education Initiative ocuses on early

learning as an investment in workorce development by:

Helpingdrivethenationaldebateaboutearly

childhood education policies and programs.

Providinginformationtothebusinesscommunity

at the local, state, and national levels so that it can

actively engage in advancing policies that support

high-quality early childhood education programs.

Developinganearlychildhoodeducationbusiness

network to exchange best practices on policies,

programs, and partnerships.


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To initiate change, this multiyear eort willocus on policies that support high-quality,

evidence-based early learning programs.

Specically, the initiative will:

Collaboratewithstateandlocalchambersthat

are active or are interested in becoming active

in the early childhood education arena.

Identifymodelprogramsandpublic-private

partnerships at the state and local levels.

Developanearlylearningtoolkitforbusiness

leaders to help guide activities and communication.

Identifyandtrainbusinessleadersthatwantto

become active in the early childhood education arena.


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Defning Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is the healthy development and

education o children rom birth to age ve. Environments

and experiences in these early years are the most infuential

inthedevelopmentofachildsbrain.High-qualityearly

childhood education programs should promote thewhole child, paying equal attention to his or her cognitive

(academic), social, and emotional development. According

toHarvardUniversitysCenterontheDevelopingChild,

eective programs employ highly skilled sta, maintain

small class sizes and high adult-to-child ratios, utilize

a language-rich environment, provide age-appropriate

curricula and stimulating materials, provide a sae physical

setting or children, nurture positive and warm sta-to-child

interactions and relationships, and experience high and

consistent levels o child participation.1

Early childhood education also recognizes that a childs

rst teachers are his or her parents. Comprehensive

programs typically designed or low-income children

oten encompass strategies and amily supports that


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seek to maximize early learning, including a parent-as-partner philosophy, home visits, parent

educationprograms,andhealthanddevelopmentalscreenings.High-qualityprogramsalso

work collaboratively with community organizations and social service agencies, as well as other

service providers, to promote the healthy development o young children.

For the purposes o this report, early childhood education and early learning are synonymousand reer to programs serving children age ve and younger. The term early care reers to

programs or inants and toddlers, rom birth to age two.

Prekindergarten (preK) programs are one component o the early learning spectrum that

has received signicant policy attention in recent years, with a number o states expanding

access to state-unded preK programs. State-unded preK programs typically invest public

unds in programs that provide three- and our-year-old children with the academic, social, and

emotional skills necessary to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. While some organizations

and state policies use the term preschool as a synonym or preK programs, others use

preschool as a generic term to describe a variety o programs or children beore they begin

kindergarten regardless o their age.

Early childhood education programs vary widely. Questions about how these programs are

unded and who is eligible or them are explored in the Early Childhood Education Landscape

section on page 12.


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The Rationale

ICW rmly believes that investments in high-quality early

learning programs or children rom birth to age ve yield

high returns. In act, research shows that or every dollar

invested today, savings range rom $2.50 to as much as

$17 in the years ahead.

Arthur J. Rolnick, then-senior vice president o the

Federal Reserve Bank o Minneapolis, and Robert

Grunewald, associate economist, calculated an annual,

infation-adjusted rate o return o 16% or high-quality

prekindergarten or disadvantaged three- and our- yearolds.2 These returns are based on long-term educational,

social, and economic benets, including increased

earnings and tax revenues and decreased use o welare

and other social services, resulting in lower expenses or

states and communities.

JamesHeckmanistheHenrySchultzdistinguishedserviceprofessorofeconomics

at the University o Chicago, a winner o the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and

anexpertintheeconomicsofhumandevelopment.Hisgroundbreakingworkwitha

consortium o economists, developmental psychologists, sociologists, statisticians, and

neuroscientists has proved that the quality o early childhood development heavily

infuences health, economic, and social outcomes or individuals and society at large.

Heckmanhasprovedthatgreateconomicgainscanbehadbyinvestinginearly

childhood development or disadvantaged children. As a result o his research, he has

developedaformulaknownastheHeckmanEquation.


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INVEST: Invest in educational and development resources or disadvantaged

amilies to provide equal access to successul early human development.

DEVELOP: Nurture early development o cognitive and social skills

in children rom birth to age ve.

SUSTAIN: Sustain early development with eective educationthrough to adulthood.

GAIN: Gain a more capable,

productive, and valuable workorce

that pays dividends to America or

generations to come.

Dr.Heckmansresearchontherates

o return to human capital investment

at dierent ages clearly shows that the

earlier the intervention occurs, the greater

its payo. Investments made rom birth to

age ve yield the highest return. The later

the investments are made, the lower the

return on investment.

Rates of Return to Human Capital Investment at Different Ages:Return to an Extra Dollar at Various Ages

Programs targeted towards the earliest years

Preschool programs

Rateofreturntoinvestm

entinhumancapital

Schooling

03 45Preschool

School Post-school

Job training

Age


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The Rationale

Additionally, research tells us the ollowing:

Therstveyearsarethemostcriticalinthe

development o a childs brain.Duringtheseearly

years, children begin to develop their cognitive, social,

emotional, and language skills and start to relate to

and interact with the world around them. In act, rom

birth to age three, children grow and learn at the most

intense rate; these are the years when children are

learning how to learn. The rst ve years represent the

pivotal juncture o nurture and nature and how theyshapethedevelopmentofyoungminds.Heckmans

research demonstrates that investments made in these

early years yield the highest rates o return to society.

Achievementgapsdevelopwellbeforechildrenbeginkindergarten. Because school

readiness and language development are key predictors o a childs academic success, they

are the ocus o early childhood education programs. Unortunately, many children who do not

participate in high-quality preK or early childhood programs are in general not ully prepared

to begin school. In the United States, those most likely to begin kindergarten at an academic

disadvantage are low-income and minority children. Research also tells us that students who

begin school behind have a tendency to remain behind throughout their academic careers.

High-qualitypreKprogramsforthree-andfour-year-oldscanhaveasignicantimpacton

allchildren,butespeciallythosefromlow-incomefamilies. Research shows that quality early

education programs have positive impacts on all childrens cognitive and language development,


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regardless o income level or program setting. For example, a

study o the current preK program in Tulsa, Oklahoma ound

that children rom amilies earning more than 185% o the

ederal poverty level made signicant gains in early literacy

skills.3 This is important because middle-income children also

experience educational challengesduring the 20052006

school year, more than hal o all dropouts were rom middle-

income amilies, and 10% o all middle-income children age

16 to 19 have been retained in grade at least once.4

While preK or all may have the greatest total impact, the

largest per-child impact is clearly on disadvantaged children.

Longitudinal research on low-income children in high-quality

preK programs also indicates that these children, compared

with their peers who did not participate, exhibit stronger early

reading and math skills and show signicant gains in social and emotional skills, reduced grade

retention, reduced placement in special education, increased likelihood o being in school at

age 21, and increased likelihood o attending a our-year university.

Meaningfulinvestmentsinqualityearlylearningprogramsforyoungerchildrenhave

lastingeffectsthatcanreducecostslaterinlifewhileenhancingeconomicgrowth.

Interventions early in lie have a higher rate o return than later interventions. Longitudinal

research has shown gains among program participants so signicant that they have resulted

in positive outcomes through adulthood. Specically, program participants were less likely

to be involved in criminal activity or be arrested; less likely to rely on social services such as

welare; less likely to have children out o wedlock; and more likely than nonparticipants to

earn more, own a home, or own a second car.

Ahigh-qualityearlychildhoodeducationcanhelpbreakthecycleofpoverty. Early

environments (i.e., cognitive and noncognitive stimulation) are a powerul predictor o

success in adulthood. A wealth o brain research concludes that early experiences have

a proound impact on cognitive, social, and emotional development. Providing young

children with a strong start early on can help counteract disadvantaged environments.


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The Early Childhood Education Landscape

The early learning landscape is complex. It involves

a mix o public and private unding streams, a variety

o program settings and requirements, and dierent

eligible populations. In addition, it has grown moreimportant as the proportion o children in amilies with

both parents working has increased.

Participation in Out-o-Home ProgramsThe Shriver report5 shed new light on the composition

o the current workorce. The percentage o women in

the workorce is nearing 50% and continues to grow.As

womens labor orce participation rates have increased,

so has childrens participation in out-o-home programs.

Despitethistrend,parentalaccesstofull-day,full-year

programs is oten a challenge, and not all programs

provide a high-quality child development and early

learning experience. Program quality and availability

varies widely within each type o setting as well as

across settings.


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Today, there are approximately 20.3 million6 children under age ve across America, 45% o

whom are minorities7 and 21% o whom live below the poverty line.8 Nearly 12 million are in

some orm o out-o-home care while their parents are at work, spending on average 36 hours

per week in the care o someone other than a parent.9 More than 1 million o these children are

three- or our-year-olds who are enrolled in state-unded preKprograms,orfederalHeadStart

or special education programs.

Among amilies with children age six or younger, 77% have a parent who is in the labor orce.10

Nationally, about three-quarters o children rom upper income amiliesbut only hal o

children rom low-income amiliesare enrolled in public or private preK.11 Middle-income

amilies are increasingly being squeezed by the cost o early education; the average amily o

our with two young children spends 29% o its monthly income on early education and care.12


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Where are children being served?As more households have both parents in the workorce, children are in

out-o-home settings in large numbers. Programs are oered in a variety

o settings, such as amily child care homes, child care and early learning

centers, and public schools. Children are oten in multiple settings,

depending on their ages and the needs o their parents, especially those who

work and need sae, reliable, and stimulating experiences or their youngchildren throughout the workday and work year. For example, a our-year-old

may go to a preK program at a public school or 2.5 hours and spend the

remainder o the day at home or in a program oered at a child care center.

The combination o ages, schedules, public and private programs, and

individual amily needs can make the possibilities appear endless.

How are these programs unded?For early childhood education as a whole, parents pay the bulk o the costs;

however, a mix o ederal and state unding is available to provide additional

support or some eligible amilies. Programs that provide services are oten

supported through multiple unding streams that can include ederal, state,

and local public unds as well as private unds. Federal unds come primarily

throughtheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesandinclude

theChildCareDevelopmentBlockGrant(CCDBG),TemporaryAssistance

forNeedyFamilies(TANF),HeadStart,andEarlyHeadStart.Otherfunds


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areprovidedthroughtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation,includingTitleIoftheElementaryand

SecondaryEducationActandtheIndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationAct.Childrenenrolledin

programs may be supported by multiple sources o unding, depending on their parents incomeand employment status.

States provide matching amounts or ederal child care unding, and 40 states have invested in

state-unded preK programs. Financing or state preK initiatives can come rom various sources,

including the states K12 unding ormula, general revenue, lottery or gaming unds, or tobacco or

other sin tax dollars.13 In recent years, states

have signicantly increased preK unding and

the number o children being served.14

Nationally, amilies pay 60% o early care

and learning costs or children under age

ve. Local, state, and ederal governments

pay 39% o the costs, while the private

sector (businesses and philanthropies) pays

the remaining 1%.15 Sources o early care and learning costs as percentages

Familycontribution

60%

Business andphilanthropy

1%

Governmentunds39%


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What is required o the programs?Programrequirementsvary.Forinstance,HeadStart

is a ederal-to-local program or low-income children

that operates with the same criteria or participation

and operation in each state. It oers a variety o

comprehensive services. In contrast, programmatic

details and participation criteria vary rom state to state

or state-unded preK programs. States also require

licensed child care centers and homes to meet minimum

health and saety standards, which typically are not

required o schools providing state-unded preK in their

classrooms, which have their own regulations.

Programqualitycanvarywidelyacrossthesesectors.High-

quality early childhood education can be ound in child care

centers,familychildcarehomes,HeadStartprograms,

and public preK classrooms. Sadly, poor quality education

exists in each o the programs as well. To encourage

providers to oer the highest quality programs, nearly hal

o the states have begun to develop or implement Quality

Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) that distinguish

between providers who have met dierent quality

standards, communicate these ratings to parents, and in

the best cases provide supports or programs to reach and

maintainhigh-qualitylevels.However,notallQRISincludes

amily child care, and most do not rate public school preK

programsorHeadStartgrantees.


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Who is eligible or these programs?All programs are voluntary. Eight states (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma,

NewYork,andWestVirginia)plusWashington,D.C.,havecommittedtopreK or all

children. Some o the states have not yet put ull unding in place, and initial resources

generally target at-risk children. Thirty-two states oer preK only to at-risk children, using

eligibility criteria such as parental income, homelessness or being an English language learner.

Ten states do not provide state unding or preK.

All o the ederal programs have eligibility requirements tied to income. Other programs may

haveadditionalrequirements;forexample,CCDBGandTANFrequireparentstobeworking

or in an approved school or training program in order or their children to be eligible. Other

actors may be taken into consideration or eligibility, such as a childs welare status (e.g.,

oster care) or a parents employment in the military or a rst responder occupation (e.g.,

police or re) or state-unded preK programs.


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Promising Practices

Despitethesecomplexities,earlychildhoodeducationoers great promise and may be a rewarding area o

infuence or the business community. Every sector o

society has a stake in the uture o children and should

be active partners in their success. To make critical

improvements to our educational inrastructure, business

must lend its experience and expertisenot just its

money and goodwill. Several states, in collaboration with

local and state chambers o commerce and businesses,

have made great accomplishments.


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VirginiaThe Greater Richmond Chamber o Commerce is a preK leader. Businesses, policymakers,

health and human services agencies, communities at large, and child advocates have been

working together to promote quality early childhood development programs, both public

and private. Regarding early childhood education as an economic security and workorce

developmentissue,businessleadersfromChestereld,Hanover,Henrico,andRichmondwork

in partnership with Success By 6, a United Way early learning initiative, to achieve ve goals:

IncreaseVirginiasnancialinvestmentsintheVirginiaPreschoolInitiative,HealthyFamilies,andtheChildrensHealthInvolvingParentsofVirginiaprogram.

Investinearlychildhoodeducationprogramsbyinuencingpolicy,promotingthebenets

o participation in preschool programs, or contributing money.

Investinthechildcareindustryandprovideincentivestocreateandimprovequality

child care programs.

Supportchildcareworkforcedevelopmentbyinvestinginscholarshipsandprovide

incentives or child care workers to upgrade their education and reduce turnover

through salary increases.

Understandthechildcareneedsofemployees,includingtheavailabilityand

aordability o child care and how child care aects employees and the workplace.16

The success o the partnership among these entities has culminated in the development o

a rigorous regional plan outlining a comprehensive, high-quality early childhood education

system built on best practices and public-private partnerships. This plan provides a template

or other chambers interested in mobilizing the business community around preschool.


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Promising Practices

North CarolinaNorth Carolina and its business community have a history o strong support or preK programs.

In1993,Gov.JimHuntcreatedtheDivisionofChildDevelopmenttomanageandcoordinate

North Carolinas early childhood education and child care services. Smart Start, a public-privateearly childhood education initiative begun in 1993, provides early childhood unding to programs

in each o the states counties. With signicant annual state and private contributions, the initiative

has grown into a nationally recognized model noted or its sustainability, quality, structure, and

breadth.17 Smart Start unds are distributed through local partnerships and are used to improve

quality and expand access and services or children rom birth to age ve and their amilies.

Huntssuccessor,Gov.MikeEasley,initiatedMoreatFourin2001,apre K program unded

by the states lottery. Together, More at Four and Smart Start serve a large number o the states

disadvantaged our-year-olds. Because early childhood education is such a critical issue or the

state, local chambers have joined the eort to promote it and garner additional public support.

TheDurhamChamberofCommerce,forexample,hasincorporatedearlychildhoodeducation

into its economic development agenda.


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MinnesotaMinnesotas business community has taken an active lead in the states investments in early

learning. In 2003, business leaders launched Minnesota Business or Early Learning (MnBEL) to

raise awareness about early childhood education, to identiy and promote best practices in the

workplace, and to impact public policy.18

Today, MnBEL is a 200-member organization composedo high-level business executives rom more than 100 companies and organizations across the

state. MnBEL also works collaboratively with other business organizations, including the Minnesota

Chamber o Commerce and a number o local chambers throughout the greater Minnesota area.

In 2005, MnBEL established the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation (MELF) to explore eective

and cost-ecient ways to provide quality early learning services to children and engage amilies

in the process. Based on research ndings,19 MELF launched two initiatives: Innovation Projects

and Comprehensive Scalable Community Projects. MELFs standout project is the St. Paul

Early Childhood Scholarship Program. This initiative pilots the market-based scholarship model

developed by Art Rolnick and Rob Grunewald o the Federal Reserve Bank o Minneapolis in

collaboration with the oce o the mayor o the city o Saint Paul, the Federal Reserve Bank, and

theMinnesotadepartmentsofHumanServicesandEducation.20 The Scholarship Program mentors

parents and assists them in selecting high-quality programs or their children and provides two-year

scholarships to low-income amilies o three- to ve-year-olds to pay or these programs. As the rst

pilot o this model, the St. Paul Childhood Scholarship Program has gained national attention.


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Promising Practices

CaliorniaIn 2005, the Los Angeles Area Chamber o Commerce became the rst organization to endorse

a state ballot initiative to make preK programs available to every our-year-old in the state.

Although the chamber had previously opposed similar measures and unding mechanismsto support voluntary preK programs, its board o directors decided that preK programs

are a necessary investment in children, the workorce, and the states education system

overall. Although voters ailed to pass the 2006 initiative, the Los Angeles chambers position

represented a shit in the business communitys support or early learning public policy.


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Washington StateThe Greater Seattle Chamber o Commerce, with a major commitment to educational

excellence, supports the Business Partnership or Early Learning (BPEL). BPEL is a coalition

o area business leaders dedicated to closing the school readiness gap by investing in earlylearningfortwo-andthree-year-olds.TheParent-ChildHomeProgramworkswithlow-income

and minority parents and amilies who do not speak English as their primary language to

address school readiness.

The program provides two years o home visits (two visits each week or 23 weeks), provides

mentoring and coaching to parents, gives gits o educational toys and books, and ocuses

on preliteracy skill development. Plan and Learn Groups, the second component o the BPEL

program, oer amilies the opportunity to participate in inormal weekly play-and-learn groups

to enhance the development o childrens noncognitive skills. Assessment data reveal that

amilies who participate or the ull two-year period show positive and signicant gains in

behaviors that are consistent with long-term outcomes.21


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Conclusion

Early childhood education is not only a smart investment with positive returns, but it

is the right thing to do. Our nation cannot aord the cost o inaction. In decades past,

the United States proudly claimed premier international status as home to the best and

brightest. Todays U.S. rankings, however, prove that we have a long way to go to reach

the top o the list again.

With current early childhood education resource levels, too many kindergarteners will

continue to begin school ill-prepared, language skills and achievement scores in math and

reading will likely remain at mediocre levels, costs or interventions during the K12 years

and ater will continue to rise, high school graduation rates and postsecondary degree

completion rates will likely remain unchanged, and businesses will lack the necessary

workorce to ll the jobs o the uture.

The research is clear. Early learning opportunities or children rom birth to age ve have

great impact on a childs development and build a strong oundation or learning andsuccesslaterinlife.Othercountriesknowwhatwearejustguringout.High-quality

preK programs can have a signicant short- and long-term impact on children and

society. Early learning interventions, ollowed by other high-quality learning experiences,

maximize the benets o early childhood programs. ICW believes that all children can

benet rom early learning. This is why ICW recommends the ollowing:

Supportinganddirectingtheexpansionofhigh-qualityprogramstoserveyoung

childrens development and learning, including state-unded preK delivered in a

varietyofsettingssuchasschools,childcarecentersandhomes,andHeadStart

agencies, with public unding targeted to low-income children rst.

Hiringqualiedandeffectiveearlychildhoodeducatorswiththeknowledgeand

skills necessary to teach young children.

Developingmixedproviderdeliverysystemsthatsupportparentalchoiceandtake

advantage o public, private, and nonprot providers and their various settings.


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Integratingearlylearningandcare

systems or children rom birth to age ve.

Makingbestuseofexistingresourcesby

coordinating local, state, and ederal eorts.

Developingseamlesstransitionsfromthe

early childhood education system to the

K12 system to create a continuum o

lielong learning.

Increasingtheavailabilityofhigh-quality,

ull-day, and/or year-round programs that

support working parents where needed.

Collectingdataandconductingthe

research needed to identiy best practices,

assess system perormance, and report

these results to the general public.

In addition to these eight recommendations,

ICW has compiled a list o action items to

encourage greater business involvement in

early childhood education. These actions

outline state- and business-level activities in

which business leaders may choose to engage.

More inormation on action items, as well as

a summary o the economic evidence behind

investments in early childhood education can

be ound at www.uschamber.com/icw or

www.PartnershipforSuccess.org.

Education in America:

The Straight Facts

Thereisnotasinglestatewhere

50% or more o the children are

profcient in reading or math.Only one-fth o low-income

and minority ourth and eighth

graders are profcient in reading

and math.22

Only70%ofninthgraders

graduate rom high school

within our years. Among blacks

and Hispanics, this number

decreases to just hal.23

Outof30industrializednations,

U.S. 15-year-olds rank 25th inmath and 21st in science.24

SeventypercentofU.S.eighth

graders read below a profcient

level.25

TwentypercentofU.S.workers

are unctionally illiterate and

innumerate.26

For more national statistics and

international comparisons, see

Appendix B.


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TakeAction

1. Connectwithyourstateearlychildhoodadvisorycouncil.

The more you know about the goals and programs in your state,

the easier it is or you to be a good partner.

2. Familiarizeyourselfwiththebenetsofhigh-qualityearly

learning programs.Understanding the benets o these

programs and telling others about them will help create

communities o children who are ready or school.

3. Visitahigh-qualityearlylearningsite.Knowing what a high-

quality program looks like and how it runs can help you be a

better advocate and understand what it means to give young

children a strong start.

4. Adoptpoliciesinyourbusinessthatsupportsworkingparents.

When possible, implement programs and policies that help your

employees become better inormed and more engaged in theirchildrens learning and development.

5. Educate employees on the value o early childhood education.

Whether or not children rom birth to age ve are at home, they

need the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical preparation

that will help them be ready or kindergarten.

6. Conveytopolicymakersyoursupportforpublicinvestmentin

early education. As someone who does not have a vested interest

in the early childhood education eld, business leaders make

powerul messengers in support o public investment or eective

programs. Communicate the evidence behind early education in

a variety o orumspublic meetings, personal communications,

and through the media.

Six Actions a Businessperson Can Take


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1. Support a mixed provider delivery system. Whether early childhood programs are

delivered by public, private, or nonprot providers, communities should ensure that

quality programs are available and convenient or the amilies who need them.

2. EncourageearlylearningsystemandK12alignment.Too oten, children are

in programs that do not adequately prepare them or success in kindergarten.

Encouraging better alignment between early learning programs and

kindergarten will help children learn to the best o their ability.

3. Promote early learning policies as part o the economic development agenda.

Several studies have shown the return on investment that early learning

programs can bring to communities. From the number o people employed to

the supports provided to working parents to the long-term benets or children

who attend high-quality programs, early learning policies should be considered

with the economic development plans.

4. Encouragetheinclusionofearlychildhooddatainthestatewidelongitudinaldata system. As a nation, we need more inormation about which programs work,

who benets, and where we need new and better solutions. Tying early childhood

data to statewide longitudinal data systems will help provide the inormation that

policymakers and parents need.

5. Encourage your state to adopt a Quality Rating Inormation System (QRIS).

Many states have worked to implement QRIS to distinguish between high-quality

programs and programs that need improvement. Rating systems are one way to

achieve transparency and accountability so that parents and policymakers know

which programs meet quality standards.

6. Encouragebusinessorganizationsandnetworkstoadoptapolicyposition

insupportofpublicinvestmentsforeffective,highqualityearlyeducation

programs. Many chambers have included such a statement in their public policy

agenda. Ensure that your chamber, as well as other business networks such as

Rotary, Kiwanis, and others, adopts this priority and ollow up with policy makers.

Six Actions the Business Community Can Take


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Appendix A

The Critical Research on Early Learning

Over the past our decades, a tremendous library o scientic research on early learning has been

assembled. Rigorous longitudinal studies have assessed the eects o high-quality preK programs on

program participants. These studies identiy the short- and long-term individual and societal benets

o quality preK programs and have been instrumental in calculating early childhood education return

on investments. Additionally, brain research on the development o young children has documented

the vast capacity or learning during the early years and underscores the importance o early learning

opportunities or school readiness. Following is a review o pertinent brain research, as well as synopses

o the three most highly regarded scientic research studies conducted on early learning programs.

Brain Research

Research in neuroscience, molecular biology, genetics, developmental psychology, and child

development has taught scientists a great deal about neural circuitry, genetics, and the eects o

early experiences on brain architecture. This research also documents the interdependence o

cognitive,social,andemotionalcapacities.JamesHeckman,NobelLaureateinEconomicSciences

rom the University o Chicago, has analyzed and synthesized research ndings rom well-documentedstudiesconductedonbothhumansandanimals.Heconcludedthatearlylearningbegetslater

learning, and skill begets skill. In other words, knowledge and skill build upon themselves; the

strongerthefoundation,thegreaterthelaterattainment.Heckmanexplainedthesciencebehindhis

conclusions as ollows.

Neural circuits, which infuence our cognitive capacities, exist in a hierarchy and have sensitive

periods during which they are most elastic and responsive to experiences. Lower level circuits, which

perorm more basic unctions, close beore higher level circuits and are most sensitive during the

early(juvenile)years.Higherlevelcircuitsdependonqualityinformationfromlowerlevelcircuitsto

perorm their tasks. Consequently, there is a progression or ordering o the sensitive periods. As a

result, research suggests a causal relationship between early environments and experiences and both

cognitive and noncognitive outcomes.


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It is through these sensitive periods that neural circuits mature. Experiences during the sensitive

periods activate the circuits and have the ability to change their architecture, chemistry, and gene

expression and can impact the behaviors they infuence. These changes then aect the ways that

neural circuits process and respond to inormation. Early mastery o a range o cognitive, social, and

emotional competencies makes learning at later ages more ecient and thereore easier and more

likely to continue.27

AccordingtoDr.JackShonkoff,professorofchildhealthanddevelopmentanddirectorofHarvard

UniversitysCenterontheDevelopingChild,Nurturingandresponsiveinteractionsbuildhealthybrain

architecture that provides a strong oundation or later learning, behavior, and health.28 Shonko

urther explains that toxic stress, dened as extreme poverty in conjunction with continuous amily

chaos, physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, severe maternal depression, substance abuse, or

amily or community violence, intereres with the maturation o healthy neural circuits and aects the

brains architecture.29This,inturn,affectsthebrainsstressmanagementsystems.BothHeckman

and Shonko conclude that these impoverished early environments have a negative infuence on

susceptible neural circuits during their sensitive periods and thereore reduce capacity.

Basedonscienticresearchontheformationanddevelopmentofthebrain,Heckman,Shonkoff,

and others rmly agree that early childhood education is likely more ecient and less costly than

interventions later in lie.

Rigorous Research Studies o Prekindergarten Participants

TheHigh/ScopePerryPreschoolProgram, in operation rom 1962 to 1967, provided high-quality

preK programs to low-income three- and our-year olds in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The program oered

2.5 hours o prekindergarten each weekday or two academic school years, 1.5 hours o weekly home

visits, meetings with parents, a small student-to-teacher ratio o 7:1, and high-quality teachers with

training in early childhood development and special education.30 Program participants have been

tracked or more than 40 years, and the longitudinal data indicate that the program contributed

signicantly to their educational perormance, economic productivity, and social responsibility.


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Appendix A

Compared with a similar group o nonparticipating children who were randomly assigned into the

controlgroup,High/ScopePerryparticipantsexhibitedthesecharacteristics:

Higherscoresonintelligenceandlanguageteststhroughageseven31

Higheracademicachievementscoresatage1432

Feweroverallarrestsandfewerdrug-relatedarrests

Highermonthlyearnings

Greaterhomeownership

Greaterownershipofasecondcar

Lessuseofwelfareassistanceorothersocialservices

HighergraduationorGEDattainmentrates

Longermarriages

Fewerbirthsoutofwedlock33

The average program cost per participant was $15,166 (in year 2000 dollars), while the individual net

benets have been calculated at $243,722, a benet-cost ratio o 17:1. The net benets break

down as ollows:34

Participants:25%(primarilyintheformofincreasedearnings)

Generalpublic:75%

Crime savings: 66%

Increased tax revenue: 5%

Education savings: 3%

Welare savings: 1%

The Chicago Child-Parent Centers(CPC) are ederally unded interventions or low-income minority

children rom high-poverty neighborhoods in Chicago. Created in 1967 and still in existence today,

CPC oers a preK program, a kindergarten program, and at select sites an early elementary school

program up to grade three. The preK program provides part-day services to three- and our-year

olds or the academic school calendar, ocuses on early reading and math skills, maintains a child-

teacher ratio o 17:2, employs teachers with a bachelors degree and certication in early childhood


31/43



education, pays teachers the equivalent o K12 salaries, and makes a parent-resource teacher and

school-community representative available at each location to provide reerral services to amilies and

conduct home visits.

The Chicago Longitudinal Study, which ollowed program participants through age 24, ound that

participants in the preK program or three- and our- year olds accomplished the ollowing:

Achievedhigherreadingandmathscoresthroughgradenine

Academicallyoutperformednonparticipants

Werelesslikelytobeheldbackinschool

Werelesslikelytobeplacedinspecialeducation

Experiencedlowerratesofofcialjuvenilearrests

The longer a child participated in a CPC program, the greater his or her academic achievement.

Children who participated or more than our years yielded signicantly higher math achievement, lie

skills competence, and lower rates o grade retention and special education placement.35 The study

also shows that male participants beneted in the areas o achievement and educational attainment,while emale participants beneted more rom participation in ollow-on programs in reading and

math. Additionally, children in the highest poverty neighborhoods beneted more than children in

lower poverty neighborhoods in school achievement and educational attainment.

The benet-cost ratio o this program was determined to be 7.14:1. The average program cost per

participant is $6,692, while the average net benet to participants is calculated at $41,067 (in 1998

dollars). The net benets break down as ollows:36

Participants:46%(primarilyintheformofincreasedearnings)

Generalpublic:54%

Crime savings: 28%

Increased tax revenue: 15%

Education savings: 9%

Welare savings: 1.6%


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Appendix A

The Carolina Abecedarian Project37inChapelHill,NorthCarolina,offeredhigh-qualitychildcareandpreK

programs to low-income children rom birth to age ve. The program provided ull-day (10-hour) services

each weekday or 50 weeks a year, instituted a child-teacher ratio o 3:1 or inants and toddlers and 6:1

or preK and kindergarten-aged children, ocused on language development, and oered medical and

nutrition services to participants.38 The study ound that students in the program age 18 months through

program completion scored signicantly higher on intelligence tests than children who did not receive this

care. Program participants were ollowed through age 21. Major ndings include higher reading and math

scores, higher intelligence test scores, enhanced language skills, lower grade retention rates, lower special

education rates, and higher postsecondary education enrollment rates. Further, program participants were

signicantly more likely than nonparticipants to still be in school at age 21 (40% and 20%, respectively) and

signicantly more likely to have ever attended a our-year college (35% and 14%, respectively).39

The benet-cost ratio o this program is calculated to be 2.5:1. The average cost per participant over a

ve-year period is $65,476, while the average net benets are calculated at $94,802 (in 2002 dollars).

The net benets break down as ollows:40

Participants:94% Generalpublicandthegovernment:6%

Current StudiesIn addition to these long-term studies, a variety o new reports have ound that

current state-unded preK programs are having an impact. For example, an evaluation o the New

Mexico program rom 2006 to 2008 ound signicant benets in the areas o early language literacy,

and math, with an estimated $5 return in New Mexico or every dollar invested by the statean 18%

return.41 A study o New Jerseys Abbott Preschool Program ound signicant academic gains, as well as

a 30% less grade retention in rst grade among children who attended one year and up to 50% less or

those who attended at both ages 3 and 4.42


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Addressing the CriticsAlthough the research on these long-term studies is thorough, some critics question its applicability to

current publicly unded programs or the ability to replicate results given current levels o unding. The Perry,

Abecedarian, and CPC programs are known or being programs o the highest quality. They were well unded,

employed highly credentialed and well-compensated teachers, maintained small student-teacher ratios,

established meaningul relationships with parents, and provided health services and other supports to amilies.

While todays high-quality programs may not have the resources aorded to the Perry, Abecedarian,

and CPC programs, many highly eective preK programs are positively impacting students today.

Many serve as models and are being replicated or scaled up. There is growing evidence that state-

unded programs are producing results. Although it will take time to ensure that every program is o

the highest quality, there is no reason to lower our preK program expectations.

Some critics are also skeptical o the benets o preK because o a misconception that some academic

gains ade-out by third grade. What is actually happening in these studies is not that children are losing

their skills, but that some children who didnt go to preK appear to catch up in terms o knowledge

that can be measured. This may be due to those children receiving intensive (and expensive) remedialprograms. On the other hand, the comparison children may have been dierent rom the children in

preK programs in terms o amily income, education, or other actors that help them catch up. Also,

while the IQ advantage that preK participants have over their peers can ade, the advantage they gain

in specic academic skills in reading and math and in social and emotional development do not. Those

skills are an even greater determinant o nal outcomes, such as graduation, employment, and lawul

behavior, than academic knowledge.43 Another study in the United Kingdom, which oers preK to all

children, ound that benets o high-quality programs last beyond kindergarten.44

There is some evidence that children who do not participate in preK programs can catch up, but

it is unclear why. Research is under way to discover whether intensive (and expensive) remedial

programs or amily income and education are the reason. Additionally, the concept o ade-out

neglects to take into account the quality o elementary schools that preK program participants attend.

It is highly possible that ade-out is more closely associated with elementary school quality than with

early childhood education quality, thus making the case or elementary school improvement and the

alignment o early childhood education with the early elementary grades.


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Appendix B

The Straight Facts

To put the early childhood education debate into perspective, the ollowing statistics give an idea o where

the country stands on measures o school readiness, academic and personal success, well-being, and

workorce readiness and participation. These statistics provide the big picture o education in America

and highlight the skills gap among students. While the K12 and postsecondary education systems need

signicant improvement to better serve all students, starting with high-quality early learning and preK

programscanhelpbuildastrongfoundationforlearningandlong-termsuccess.However,greatstridesin

program expansion and quality improvements are necessary i we are to ensure that every child has the

opportunity to participate in highly eective early learning programs.

National Employer Statistics

Ninetypercentofthefastest-growingjobsinAmericarequiresomepostsecondaryeducation.

Fortypercentofhighschoolgraduatescannotreadataneighthgradelevel.45

TwentypercentofU.S.workersarefunctionallyilliterateandinnumerate.46

International Comparisons

U.S.15-year-oldsrank25thoutof30industrializednationsinmath.47

U.S.15-year-oldsrank21stoutof30industrializednationsinscience.48

TheUnitedStatesranks20thoutof28OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment

(OECD)countriesinhighschoolgraduationrates.49

TheUnitedStatesranks15thof27OECDcountriesincollegegraduation.50

TheUnitedStatesranks2ndoutof27countriesinthepercentageofstudents(morethan40%)

who enter college and leave without earning a degree. Fewer than 60% o U.S. students complete

their undergraduate education.51

K12AcademicProciency

Thereisnotasinglestatewhere50%ormoreofthechildrenareprocientinreadingormath.

Only20%,oflow-incomeandminorityfourthandeighthgradersareprocientinreadingandmath.

Only32%offourthgradersand29%ofeighthgradersareprocientinreading.52

Only39%offourthgradersand31%ofeighthgradersareprocientinmath.53

AverageperpupilspendingforK12educationis$8,973(adjustedforregionalcostdifferences).54


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HighSchoolGraduation,CollegeReadiness,andCollegeCompletion

Only70%ofninthgradersgraduatefromhighschoolwithinfouryears.55

OnlyhalfofHispanicandblackninthgradersgraduatefromhighschoolwithinfouryears.56

Anestimated53%ofallcollegestudentstakeatleastoneremedialEnglishormathcourseduring

their college experience.57

Morethanhalf(54%)ofcollegefreshmangraduatewithabachelorsdegreeinsixyears.58

Child Well-being

Atotalof4.2millionchildrenunderageve,or21%ofallchildrenintheUnitedStates,livebelow

the poverty line.59

Low-incomechildrenhear3millionwordsayear,middle-incomechildrenhear6million,and

upper income children hear 11 million.60

Thirty-vepercentofchildreninsingle-parenthomeshaveamotherwhoisahighschooldropout.61

A2007UNICEFreportfoundthattheUnitedStatesisinthebottomthirdofrankingsinmanyof

the six dimensions o child well-being (i.e. material well-being, health and saety, educational well-

being, amily and peer relationships, behaviors and risks, and subjective well-being).62

Forchildrenwhomovethreeormoretimesbetweentheagesoffourandseven,theprobabilityoftheir high school graduation decreases 13% below the baseline average o 82%.63

Motherswithlessschoolingprovidelesscognitiveandemotionalstimulationtotheirchildren.64

EarlyLearningWorkforce

Itisestimatedthatonly30%ofthenearly400,000earlylearningteachersandadministrators

in the United States have a bachelors degree in any eld. And ew teachers have a teaching

credential, expertise, or specialized training in early care and education66

TheChildDevelopmentAssociate(CDA)NationalCredentialingProgramsupportstrainingand

professionaldevelopmentfortheearlychildhoodworkforceandproduces15,000newCDA

credentialedteachersannually.TheCouncilforProfessionalRecognitionadministerstheCDA

credentialing program. More inormation is available at http://www.cdacouncil.org/ab_his.htm.

One-third(1,349)oftheinstitutionsofhighereducationthatofferanassociates,bachelors,

masters, or doctoral degree in any eld oer an early childhood teacher preparation degree.67

PreKteachersearnanaverageof$21,000annually,comparedwithelementaryschoolteachers

who earn an average o $42,000 annually.68


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Appendix B

PreKFunding69 Nationally,statesspendanaverageof$4,061perchildenrolledinpreK programs.

StatespendingonpreK programs ranges rom $1,686 per pupil in Maine to $10,989 per pupil in

New Jersey (these amounts exclude local spending).

Nationally,HeadStartexpenditures(whichcovercomprehensiveservicesforparticipants)average

$7,909 per pupil.

Nationally,familiespay60%ofearlycareandlearningcostsforchildrenunderageve;local,

state, and ederal governments pay 39% o the costs; the private sector (businesses and

philanthropies) pays the remaining 1%.70

Early Learning Return on Investment

DisadvantagedchildrenareassociatedwithahigherpreK program rate o return than their more

advantaged peers.

PreKprogrambenet-costratioshavebeencalculatedtorangefrom2.5:1tothebestcase

scenario o 17:1.71

ArthurJ.Rolnick,then-seniorvicepresident,andRobertGrunewald,associateeconomist,ofthe

Federal Reserve Bank o Minneapolis calculated an annual, infation-adjusted rate o return o16% or preK programs.72

JamesHeckman,NobelLaureateinEconomicSciences,ndsthatthereturnstohumancapital

investments are greatest or the young or two reasons:(1) skill begets skill, and (2) younger

persons have a longer horizon over which to recoup the ruits o their investments.73

Interventionslaterinlife,includingjobtraining,adultliteracy,prisonerrehabilitation,and

education programs or disadvantaged adults (although benecial), yield low economic returns

compared to early interventions, such as preK programs.74

Theperformanceofchildrenbenetingfromearlyinterventionsisbetterthanthatofchildrenwho

beneted rom later interventions, according to multiple studies.75


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Acknowledgments

The Institute or a Competitive Workorce would like to thank the ollowing

people who made this paper possible: primary researcher and writer Elena

Rocha; advisors Sara Watson, Elanna Yalow, and Nina Rees; and reviewers

Cornelia Grumman, Eric Karolak, Craig Pascal, and Joan Walters.

The Institute or a Competitive Workorce would like to thank The Pew

Charitable Trusts, Knowledge Universe, and PNC Bank or their generous

support o the Early Childhood Education Initiative. The opinions expressed

are those o the authors and do not necessarily refect those o the unders.


38/43


Endnotes

1 Summary o Essential Findings: A Science-

Based Framework or Early Childhood Policy,

HarvardUniversityCenterontheDeveloping

Child, 2007.

2 Rob Grunewald and Arthur J. Rolnick,

EarlyChildhoodDevelopment:Economic

DevelopmentwithaHighPublicReturn,

FedGazette (March 2003). Accessed April

12, 2010 at http://www.minneapolised.org/publications_papers/pub_display.

cm?id=3832.

3 The Eects o Oklahomas University Pre-K

Program on School Readiness: An Executive

Summary, 2004, by William Gormley, Jr., et al,

Center or Research on Children in the United

States, Georgetown University.

4 Albert Wat, The Pre-K Pinch: Early Education

and the Middle Class, Pre-K Now,

November 2008.

5 MariaShriver,HeatherBoushey,andAnn

OLeary, The Shriver Report: A Womans

Nation Changes Everything, Center or

American Progress, 2009.

6 U.S. Census Bureau, 20052007 American

Community Survey. Available at: http://

actnder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_

submenuId=actsheet_1&_sse=on.

7 U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates,

May 2006. Estimates are based on the

2005 U.S. population. See also http://

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/

article/2006/05/09/AR2006050901841.html.

8 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population

Survey, Annual Social and Economic

Supplement, 2007. See table POV01 at

http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032008/pov/

new01_100_01.htm.

9 Child Care in America, National Association

o Child Care Resource & Reerral Agencies.

Availableathttp://www.kaccrra.org/PDFs/

EMPpds/CCinAmericaReport_Naccrra.pd.

10 Working Mothers Need Child Care,

National Association o Child Care Resources

& Reerral Agencies. Available at http://

www.naccrra.org/policy/background_issues/

working_mothers.php.

11 Karen Schulman and W. Steven Barnett,

The Benets o Prekindergarten or Middle-

Income Children, National Institute or Early

Education Research, March 2005. Available

at http://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/

report3.pd.

12 Albert Wat, The Pre-K Pinch: Early Education

and the Middle Class, Pre-K Now,

November 2008.

13 DianaStone,FundingtheFuture:States

Approaches to Pre-K Finance, Pre-K Now,

February 2006.

14 Since 2005, there has been a $2.3 billion

increase in state pre-K program spending and

the percentage o our-year-old children served

has increased rom 14% in the 200102

school year to 24% in the 200708 school year.

Currently, 40 states have state-unded pre-K

programs, and Arkansas and Rhode Island

have pilot pre-K programs. Florida, Georgia,


39/43



and Oklahoma have universal access subject

to unding or all our-year-olds; these state

programs now serve more than one million

children. A number o other states, including

Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, New York, and West

Virginia, are working toward statewide voluntary

access programs. The remaining 10 states

(Hawaii,Idaho,Indiana,Mississippi,Montana,

NewHampshire,NorthDakota,SouthDakota,

Utah, and Wyoming) do not oer state-unded

pre-K programs. O these states, several have

created early learning councils or commissions,

plannedpilotprograms,orsupportHeadStart

and other early care and learning programs.

15 AnneMitchell,LouiseStoney,andHarriet

Dichter,FinancingChildCareintheUnited

States: An Expanded Catalog o Current

Strategies, 2001 Edition, 2001.

16 EarlyChildhoodDevelopmentDirectlyAects Economic Vitality, Greater Richmond

Chamber o Commerce.

17 Stone, Funding the Future.

18 Minnesota Business or Early Learning Web

site, http://www.mnbel.org.

19 EarlyChildhoodDevelopment:Economic

DevelopmentwithaHighPublicReturn,

Federal Reserve Bank o Minneapolis, March

2003; and Winning Start: A Plan or InvestingWiselyinEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,

Minnesota School Readiness Business Advisory

CouncilPolicyTaskForce,December2004.

20 Minnesota Early Learning Foundation

Annual Report, Minnesota Early Learning

Foundations, April 2008.

21 Organizational Research Services,

Parent-ChildHomeProgram/Play&Learn

GroupDemonstrationProject,Summary

o Evaluation Findings, The Seattle

Foundation, October 2008. Available

at http://www.seattleoundation.org/

newsarticle.cfm?articleID=10022624&PTSi

debarOptID=19793&returnTo=page28211.

cm&returnToname=Foundation%20Ma

terials&SiteID=1851&pageid=28211&S

IDEPAGEID=28211.Seealsothe2009

Business Partnership or Early Learning

Annual Report, The Seattle Foundation,

2009, at http://www.seattleoundation.org/

newsarticle.cfm?articleID=10022623&PTSi

debarOptID=19793&returnTo=page28211.

cm&returnToname=Foundation%20Materia

ls&SiteID=1851&pageid=28211&SIDEPAGE

ID=28211.

22 Based on 2007 National Assessment oEducational Progress (NAEP) data rom the

U.S.DepartmentofEducation,Instituteof

Education Sciences, National Center or

EducationStatistics,andNAEPDataExplorer.

23 Jay P. Greene and Marcus Winters, Public

HighSchoolGraduationandCollege-

Readiness Rates: 19912002, The

Manhattan Institute, February 2005.

24 Organisation or Economic Co-operation and

Development(OECD).PISA2006:Science

Competencies or Tomorrows World, Executive

Summary(Paris,France:OECDPublications,

2007), Tables 2 and 5. Available at

http://www.oecd.org/

dataoecd/15/13/39725224.pd.


40/43


Endnotes

25 Eighth-grade NAEP reading test results.

26 JamesJ.HeckmanandKimitriyV.Masterov,

The Productivity Argument or Investing

in Young Children, Executive Summary,

University o Chicago, October 2004.

27 JamesHeckman,TheTechnologyand

Neuroscience o Skill Formation, PowerPoint

presentation, Invest in Kids Working Group,

CenterforEconomicDevelopment,Partnership

or Americas Economic Success (July 17, 2006).

28 Jack P. Shonko, The Science o Early

ChildhoodDevelopment,ClosingtheGap

BetweenWhatWeKnowandWhatWeDo,

PowerPointpresentation,HarvardUniversity

(November 30, 2005).

29 NationalScienticCouncilontheDeveloping

Child, The Science o Early Childhood

Development,ClosingtheGapBetweenWhatWeKnowandWhatWeDo,Centeronthe

DevelopingChild,HarvardUniversity,January

2007. Available at http://www.developingchild.

net/pubs/persp/pd/Science_Early_Childhood_

Development.pdf.

30 AlbertWat,DollarsandSense:AReviewof

Economic Analysis o Pre-K, Pre-K Now,

May 2007.

31 Ibid.

32 Ibid.

33 SignicantBenets:TheHigh/ScopePerry

PreschoolProject,High/ScopeEducational

Research Foundation 2005. Available at

www.highscope.org/Research/PerryProject/

perrymain.htm.

34 Schweinhart,TheHigh/ScopePerry

Preschool Study Through Age 40, Ypsilanti,

MI.Formoreinformation,seeWat,Dollars

and Sense.

35 Chicago Longitudinal Study Newsletter,

Waisman Center, University o Wisconsin-

Madison, August 2000. Available at http://

www.waisman.wisc.edu/cls/NEWSLETN.PDF.

36 Reynolds, Temple, Robertson, and Mann,

Age 21 Cost-Benet Analysis o the Title I

Chicago Child-Parent Centers. For more

information,seeWat,DollarsandSense.

37 Early Learning, Later Successes: The

Abecedarian Study, Executive Summary,

TheFrankPorterGrahamChildDevelopment

Institute, The University o North Carolina

atChapelHill.Availableat

http://www.pg.unc.edu/~abc/summary.cm.

38 Wat,DollarsandSense.

39 The Carolina Abecedarian Project,

Age 21 Follow-up, Executive Summary, Early

Learning, Later Success: The Abecedarian

Study,FPGChildDevelopmentInstitute,

UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill

[[date?]]. Available at http://www.pg.unc.

edu/~abc/#summary_ollow_up.

40 Barnett and Masse, Comparative Benet-

Cost Analysis o the Abecedarian Program and

Its Policy Implications. For more, see Wat,

DollarsandSense.

41 The New Mexico Pre-k Evaluation, 2009, by

JasonHustedtetal,NationalInstituteforEarly

Education Research at Rutgers University. http://

nieer.org/pd/new-mexico-initial-4-years.pd.


41/43



42 Ellen Frede et al., The Apples Blossom: Abbott

Preschool Program Longitudinal Eects Study

(APPLES) Preliminary Results Through 2nd

Grade Interim Report, (New Brunswick: National

Institute or Early Education Research, Rutgers,

The State University o New Jersey, 2009).

43 Personal communication, Pro. Steve Barnett,

4/25/2010.

44 Preschool Infuences on Mathematics

Achievement, Science, 321, 2008, by Edward

C. Melhuish et al.

45 HeckmanandMasterov,TheProductivity

Argument or Investing in Young Children:

Executive Summary. .

46 Ibid.

47 OECD,PISA2006:ScienceCompetenciesfor

Tomorrows World, Executive Summary, Tables

2 and 5.

48 Ibid.

49 OECD,EducationatGlance2008(Paris:OECD

Publications, 2008), 52. Rates are below the

average or the 19 European Union countries

andtheOECDaverage,andrepresentarate

that has been stagnant over the last decade.

50 OECD,EducationatGlance2008,75.

51 Ibid., pp. 92 and 94.

52 The Nations Report Card, Reading 2007,

National Assessment o Educational Progress

atGrades4and8,U.S.Departmentof

Education, Institute o Education Sciences,

National Center or Education Statistics, 2007.

53 The Nations Report Card, Mathematics

2007, National Assessment o Educational

ProgressatGrades4and8,U.S.Department

o Education, Institute o Education Sciences,

National Center or Education Statistics, 2007.

54 Quality Counts 2008, Editorial Projects in

Education, January 2008.

55 Jay P. Greene and Marcus Winters, Public

HighSchoolGraduationandCollege-Readiness

Rates: 19912002, The Manhattan Institute,

February 2005.

56 GreeneandWinters,PublicHighSchool

Graduation and College-Readiness Rates.

57 AmericanDiplomaProject,ReadyorNot:

CreatingaHighSchoolDiplomaThatCounts,

Achieve Inc., 2004. Available at http://www.

achieve.org/node/552.

58 Cracks in the Education Pipeline: A Business

LeadersGuidetoHigherEducationReform,

CommitteeforEconomicDevelopment,May

2005. Available at http://www.ced.org/docs/

report/report_highered.pd.

59 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population

Survey, Annual Social and Economic

Supplement 2007. See table POV01, available

at http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032008/

pov/new01_100_01.htm.

60 B.HartandT.R.Risely,Meaningful

DifferencesintheEverydayExperienceof

YoungAmericanChildren,PaulH.Brooks

Publishing Company 1995.


42/43


Endnotes

61 JamesHeckmanandDmitriyV.Masterov,

The Productivity Argument or Investing in

Young Children, PowerPoint presentation,

December3,2004.

62 Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview o

Child Well-being in Rich Countries, United

Nations Childrens Fund, 2007. Available at

http://www.unice-irc.org/presscentre/presskit/

reportcard7/rc7_eng.pd.

63 TheHiddenCostoftheHousingCrisis:The

ImpactofHousingonYoungChildrensOddsof

Success, Partnership or Americas Economic

Success, Issue Brie #7, July 2008.

64 HeckmanandMasterov,TheProductivity

Argument or Investing in Young Children.

65 StephenHerzenberg,MarkPrice,and

DavidBradley,LosingGroundinEarly

ChildhoodEducation:DecliningWorkforceQualications in an Expanding Industry,

19792004, The Economic Policy

Institute, 2005. Available at http://www.

earlychildhoodworkorce.com/losingground/

ecepd/losing_ground-ull_text.pd.

66 Valora Washington, Role, Relevance,

Reinvention:HigherEducationinthe

Field o Early Care and Education, Aspire

Institute, The CAYL Institute, The Council or

Proessional Recognition, National Black ChildDevelopmentInstitute,NationalHeadStart

Association, National Louis University, Pre-K

Now, and Wheelock College, September 2008.

67 Ibid.

68 Facts and Figures: The Promise o

Preschool, The National Institute or Early

Education Research. Available at http://

nieer.org/docs/?DocID=42.Inadditionto

pay disparities, pre-K program teachers lack

the benets and career ladder opportunities

aorded to K12 teachers.

69 W.StevenBarnett,DaleJ.Epstein,AllisonH.

Friedman, Judi Stevenson Boyd, and Jason T.

Hustedt,TheStateofPreschool2008,

The National Institute or Early Education

Research, 2008.

70 Mitchell,Stoney,andDichter,FinancingChild

Care in the United States.

71 Wat,DollarsandSense.

72 For low-income children in high-quality

preschools.

73 J.L.Heckman,InvestintheVeryYoung

(Chicago: Ounce o Prevention Fund, 2000).

74 Heckman,TheTechnologyandNeuroscience

o Skill Formation.

75 Ibid.


43/43

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