Increasing public and private investment in early education

School readiness means children entering school ready for success -- 5-year-olds who are able to follow instructions, build friendships, and embrace new challenges.

Achieving school readiness requires proactive schools and communities, as well as families and children. Communities must be committed to healthy child and family development. Schools must be able to identify and meet the unique needs of every student.

Researchers and educators agree that quality early education provides an invaluable foundation for school and work success.  Whether with parents and relatives or in center-based care, young children need age-appropriate stimulation and nurturing to support their physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language development.

Research further demonstrates that investments in early care and learning are cost-effective. Children in quality early learning environments are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, attend college, and begin careers that will support them and their families. Children with healthy early childhood development are less likely to need expensive special education services, become teen parents,or commit crimes. The best investments in our workforce begin with school readiness.

Ready for school. Ready for success. Truly the right thing for our children and a strategic investment for our state.

April 18, 2005
Report: "Early Childhood Education for All: A Wise Investment," from by the Mass. Institute of Technology and Family Initiative, makes the economic-development case for investment in early care and education. Link to the full report (PDF), executive summary (PDF), press release, or news coverage.

January 2005
Updated: "Seven Things Policy Makers Need to Know About School Readiness," a toolkit (PDF) and briefing papers developed by the State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network (SECPTAN).

May 2004
Resource brief: "Beyond the Usual Suspects: Developing New Allies to Invest in School Readiness"(PDF) from the State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network (SECPTAN)

March 19, 2004
Children's Alliance and the NH School Readiness Indicators Initiative State Team release report, "Ready, Set, GROW: Investing in Quality Early Care and Education for a Thriving New Hampshire." (PDF)

Resources

Report: “From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development”
National Research Council, Institute of Medicine

Report: “What Science Is Telling Us: How neurobiology and developmental psychology are changing the way policymakers and communities should think about the developing child” (PDF)
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

Report: "The ABCs of early childhood: Trends, information and evidence for use in developing an early childhood system of care and education" (PDF)
Iowa Kids Count and Iowa Forum for Children and Families.

Issue paper: "Invest in the Very Young" (PDF)
James J. Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, for the Ounce of Prevention Fund.

Report: "Many Happy Returns: Three Economic Models that Make the Case for School Readiness" (PDF)
State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network (SECPTAN)

Report: "Missed Opportunities? The Possibilities and Challenges of Funding High-Quality Preschool through Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act" (PDF)
Center for Law and Social Policy

Report: "Building the Foundation for Bright Futures" (PDF)
National Governor's Association Task Force on School Readiness