- By failing to address early childhood development, we are jeopardizing our own future. In a globally competitive workplace, we can no longer allow children to enter school unprepared to learn and to succeed.
- A well-educated, qualified workforce is the cornerstone of a vibrant economy and prosperous communities. High-quality preschool helps cultivate that skilled workforce by narrowing the achievement gap and giving young children a solid foundation in critical early social and academic skills.
- We are already falling behind other countries. The U.S. ranks 26 out of 32 countries in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) math scores.1
- California is falling behind other states too. On the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) 2005, California ranked in the bottom sixth in eighth grade math, reading and science, compared to other states.
- Each year, 120,000 Californians reach age 20 without a high school diploma, costing the state $46.4 billion over a lifetime – and depriving us of the talented workforce that drives innovation and fuels our economic growth.2
Studies show that far too many children are entering kindergarten unprepared, and that a wide gap exists between lower- and higher-income children, even before they enter kindergarten.3
- At age 3, low-income children have average vocabularies of 480 words, while high-income children have average vocabularies of 1,100 words.4
- Of 50 children who have trouble reading in first grade, 44 will still have trouble in fourth grade.5
- If the U.S. had closed the achievement gap between low-income students and others a decade ago, gross domestic product in 2008 would have been $400 billion to $670 billion higher, according to a recent McKinsey & Co. report.6
- Learning begins at birth: Early experiences shape a child’s brain development and lay the foundation for all future learning, behavior and success.7
- The brain is like any other muscle: It must be used to become – and stay – healthy.
Early childhood education gets kids ready to learn during their most formative years. National research shows that children who attend high-quality preschool programs:
- perform better on standardized tests in reading and math;8
- are less likely to be placed in special education;9
- are less likely to be held back a grade;10 and
- are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college.11
- Economic research shows that the earlier we make investments, the greater our return will be.
- In cost-benefit analyses, economists have found high-quality early childhood education offers one of the highest returns of any public investment -- $7 to $16 for every dollar spent. It saves government spending on K-12 education, public assistance and the criminal justice system, and increases tax revenues as a result of higher earnings.12
In addition to being a proven investment that stimulates long-term economic growth, high-quality early care and education allows parents to go to work secure that their children are in safe, nurturing environments. Employers find that good early childhood programs reduce absenteeism and increase productivity, recruitment and retention of employees.
How can you help ensure California's children are prepared to succeed in school, contribute to a strong economy and build thriving communities?
• Ask for a tour of a high-quality preschool in your area.
• Policymakers and candidates, particularly our next governor, have the power to move early learning policy. Contact them to voice your support for high-quality preschool.
• Sponsor a briefing to spread the word about preschool’s benefits to colleagues and policymakers.
• Sign an op-ed or a letter to the editor.
•
Join our email list to receive the latest preschool updates.
Sources
1 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment (2006). PISA 2006 Technical Report.
2 Belfield, C. & Levin, H. (2007). The Economic Losses from High School Dropouts in California. California Dropout Research Project: University of California, Santa Barbara.
3 Karoly, L., et. al. (2007). Who Is Ahead and Who Is Behind? Gaps in School Readiness and Student Achievement in the Early Grades for California’s Children. RAND Corporation. Read more about the RAND preschool studies.
4 Hart, B. & Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children. University of Kansas.
5 Partnership for America’s Economic Success. General PAES Powerpoint on the Economic Message.
6 Karoly, L., et. al. (2008). Prepared to Learn: The Nature and Quality of Early Care and Education for Preschool-Age Children in California. RAND Corporation, 147-48. Read more about the RAND preschool studies.
7 McKinsey & Company Social Sector Office. (2009). The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools.
8 Harvard University Center on the Developing Child. In Brief: The Science of Early Childhood Development.
9 Reynolds, A. (1995). One Year of Preschool Intervention or Two: Does it Matter? Early Childhood Research Quarterly 10.
and Reynolds, A. et. al. (2002). Age 21 Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 24.
10 Reynolds, A. et. al. (2001). Long-term Effects of an Early Childhood Intervention on Educational Achievement and Juvenile Arrest. Journal of the American Medical Association 285.
11 Ibid.
12 Schweinhart, L. et. al. (2005). Lifetime Effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40. Yipsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.
And Reynolds, A. et. al. (2007). Effects of a School-Based, Early Childhood Intervention on Adult Health and Well-being: a 19-Year Follow-up of Low-Income Families. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
13 Reynolds, A. et. al. (2002). Age 21 Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 24.
And Schweinhart, L. et. al. (2005). Lifetime Effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40. Yipsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.
Monica reads to her daughter, preschooler Makaela, in Saint Vincent’s library. She also attends parenting classes there on nutrition and dealing with stress.
Flor enjoys reading to other children. Her preschool teacher, Miss Teresa, says she’s a role model. 
Miles loves learning to count the Legos and blocks in his preschool classroom so much that he has begun counting pennies and cars on the street.
