Let me start off by making one thing clear. Young children deserve a high quality early education because it is our responsibility as adults to care for them and give them what they need. It’s a matter of moral responsibility. Children need quality experiences to be whole and healthy and to meet the outer limits of their grand potentials, both as children and as adults. That said, there have been a series of interesting articles recently, coming from unlikely sources. It’s not NAEYC or Zero to Three issuing these papers, it’s economists and business leaders.
These writers are getting attention for pointing out the overall return on investments into early education. It’s all broken down by dollars and economic growth. That may not be my first motivator, but I figure you have to find whatever common ground will get people involved in advocating for children. If someone needs to see dollar signs and numbers to help them realize that the early years are not just cute, there are definitely dollar signs and numbers to be found.
In general, the research points out that, *gasp* children who receive high quality early education are more likely to be productive members of society over a lifetime. One study found the investment to be worth more than 10-fold over a lifetime! For every dollar spent in the early years, there’s a $10 return. This rate of return appears to steadily decline over a person’s lifetime. So, money put into high school programs have a much smaller rate of return. It all goes back to the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Additionally, I found it interesting that many statements in the articles point to the fact that the benefits of preschool are not just academic. In fact, many of the cognitive benefits even out over time. As found in the Perry Preschool Experiment and the report from the Society for Human Resource Management (links below), the benefits of preschool are largely about social skills: team building, self-control, and motivation.
I found these articles extremely interesting (particularly the one about the $320,ooo kindergarten teacher — you just might find me back at the nearest elementary school when that one comes to fruition). If you’re looking for some weekend reading, check these out! Then think about what you can do to advocate for children— whether that’s in your own home, your own school, your community, or the world.
“Meeting the Workforce Needs of the Future…Means Meeting the Developmental Needs of Young Children Today” – Society for Human Resource Management
“The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers” – The New York Times
Top photo by Anissa Thompson.