Leading US economists are coming out in droves to support what many social scientists and early childhood psychologists have been arguing for decades: when society invests wisely in children, the next generation will pay that back through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship.
Education Programs Provide Financial Benefits
The Economic Policy Institute’s report, “Exceptional Returns: Economic, Fiscal, and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Development,” presents empirical calculations that show how education programs for 3 and 4 year-old children ultimately provide many financial benefits to local governments, taxpayers and society in general in the form of higher earnings and reduced crime.
According to the report, high-quality programs contribute directly to higher employment and wages, better health, less crime, less poverty, greater government resources, reductions in race and gender inequalities, and higher levels of verbal, math and intellectual achievement for participating students.
The report also elaborates on the benefits of improving work skills and reducing poverty and crime that would ultimately strengthen the US economy and its competitiveness in the global market. It estimates a return of $8.74 for every $1 invested in quality early childhood education programming. That ratio jumps to about $17 for every $1 spent specifically on the 20% of US children living in poverty.
Research in Neurobiology, Need for Skilled Workforce
Two relatively recent developments have stimulated interest in the topic. The first is the explosion of research in neurobiology that clarifies the extent to which the interaction between genetics and early experience literally shapes brain architecture. The second is the increasingly recognized need for a highly skilled workforce and healthy adult population to confront the growing challenges of global economic competition and the rising costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for the aging baby boomers.
The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University describes brain architecture and developing abilities as built “from the bottom up,” with simple circuits and skills providing the scaffolding for more advanced circuits and skills over time in its report “The Science of Early Childhood Development.”
Emotional well-being, social competence and cognitive abilities together are the "bricks and mortar" that comprise the foundation of human development.
Toxic stress in early childhood is associated with persistent effects on the nervous system and stress hormone systems that can damage developing brain architecture and lead to lifelong problems in learning, behavior and both physical and mental health. Early childhood educators play a critical role in recognizing red flags and initiating early intervention efforts for vulnerable and "at-risk" children during this critical stage of brain development when remedial services are much more effective (than in elementary or middle school, for example).
The framework for the soft skills more and more CEOs say they need from employees in today’s global market: creativity, interpersonal skills, collaborative problem-solving, communication skills, team-building, etc. are all rooted in the first few years of life. In fact, all aspects of adult human capital - from work force skills to cooperative and lawful behavior - build on capacities that are developed during childhood, beginning at birth.
Creating the right conditions for early childhood development is likely to be more effective and less costly than addressing problems at a later age.
What is a "High Quality" Program?
High-quality early childhood programs produce children with better school readiness skills and yield substantial long-term benefits, including higher graduation rates, fewer school dropouts and less need for special education services.
Today, about 60% of American children under age 5 spend part of their day in care outside the home. Nearly 4 out of 5 states invest in preschool programs, although the financial commitment, eligibility requirements and number of children enrolled vary widely from state to state.
Although ample debate exists about what constitutes a “high quality” early childhood program, two themes generally emerge:
- A rich curriculum. The best early childhood programs emphasize language, emergent literacy, and early mathematical skills; motor, social and emotional development; health and nutritional services; structured and unstructured play; and, typically, parent involvement and education. While no single curriculum works for everyone, all children tend to learn more and be better prepared for formal schooling when they attend well-planned, high quality, center-based preschools in which curricular aims are specified and delivered.
- A responsive and well-educated staff. One of the strongest predictors of high-quality early learning programs is the preparation and compensation of teachers and their responsiveness and sensitivity to the children. The National Research Council recommends assigning at least one teacher with a bachelor’s degree and specialized training in early childhood to each class.
What Should Policymakers Do?
According to the American Educational Research Association, policymakers should focus on four areas:
- providing access to high-quality early childhood programs to the most vulnerable children because of their greater need and the higher return on the public’s investment;
- developing state standards for early childhood programs to include curriculum content;
- improving the education and compensation of early childhood educators and requiring preschool teachers to have a four-year degree and specialized training;
- closely monitoring early childhood programs to ensure quality is maintained.
The future of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of the next generation. What economists and social scientists alike now seem to agree on is that early childhood education makes a huge impact on the next generation in the classroom, the workforce and in society.
Resources:
American Education Research Association
Stephen Raburn - Stephen Raburn… is a social entrepreneur, father, community galvanizer, activist, lobbyist, writer, lecturer, and champion of ...
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