Invest in America's Children

My Latest Piece Featured @ YPNation.com:
http://www.ypnation.com/blogs/invest-americas-children

Conspicuously missing from the national budget debate is a discussion about strategic investments in early childhood education.

Without a doubt, all levels of government are facing tough choices in this new age of austerity. But if America is to remain a country that prides itself on enabling individuals to pursue their God-given abilities in a free market system, than it must place top priority on ensuring its children have the skills to compete in today’s global economy.

Targeted investments in early childhood development can lead to significant economic gains for society. For every dollar invested in early learning programs today, savings range from $2.50 to as much as $17 per child in the years ahead, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Children who are involved in early childhood education programs are less likely to rely on social services and are more likely to earn more. High-quality prekindergarten for disadvantaged three- and four- year olds generates a 16 percent annual rate of return, according to the Federal Reserve.Which leads to increased tax revenues for local communities as well as declining expenditures on costly juvenile justice and social welfare programs.

Many communities across the country have begun to develop innovative programs to address this need. For example, in Cleveland, a broad spectrum of leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors joined together in 1999 to develop Invest in Children, an initiative aimed at increasing the development, funding, visibility, and impact of early childhood services. Since its inception, the program has served more than 75 percent of all new infants born in Greater Cleveland. Students who participated in the Invest in Children program and then entered kindergarten in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District averaged a score three points higher on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment for Literacy (KRA-L) than other students in the district.

Early learning programs are a good investment, yet they are too often neglected in economic agendas, despite their importance to America’s long-term strategic interests and the high rates of return they generate for the public and private sectors.

Investing in early childhood education is an important first step as America plots its path back to prosperity. Tax cuts and entitlement reform are only part of the solution. To win the future, we must invest in our most precious asset—our children.