By Maggie Naughton
The path to leading a healthy life and building a successful career begins early, and an inordinate number of American children are reaching the starting gates too late. By age 3, children of high-income professionals have heard 30 million more words than their low-income peers. This enormous disparity leaves low-income children unprepared when they enter kindergarten, and the achievement gap only widens from there. Fortunately, there are evidence-based approaches that have been proven to significantly reduce this achievement gap. Creating high-quality early learning opportunities for children age 0-5, particularly those most at risk of falling behind, dramatically improves educational, health, and economic outcomes.
While there is considerable concern over the rising costs and inaccessibility of college, discussions about the benefits of early learning remain largely absent from the political arena. President Obama has mentioned early learning in several State of the Union Addresses, and several states and cities are devoting time and resources to improve the quality of and access to early learning, but it has yet to gain national traction or become a federal priority.
The first four years of a child’s life are a critical period for learning and development, and high-quality early learning provides the necessary foundation for more advanced skills. For example, children’s language skills from age one to two are predictive of their pre-literacy skills at age five. Research shows that students who attend high-quality preschool programs have better health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes than those who do not. The benefits are particularly important for children in low-income families, who on average enter kindergarten 12 to 24 months behind their peers in pre-literacy and language skills. Without intervention, most will never catch up.
High-quality early learning programs take a holistic approach, paying equal attention to cognitive, social, and emotional development. Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child notes that effective programs employ highly skilled teachers and paraprofessionals, maintain small class sizes and high adult-to-child ratios, cultivate a language-rich environment, nurture positive interactions, and foster high and consistent levels of child participation.
High-quality programs partner with the community, correctly understanding that a child’s first teachers are his or her parents. For the most at-risk children, early learning and intervention can start as early as during the mother’s pregnancy. Home visitation programs like Nurse Family Partnership begin with a registered nurse working with mothers during pregnancy to offer basic prenatal support and guidance. After the baby is born, nurses help with breastfeeding, managing stress, and encouraging the mother to talk to and read to the child. These visits are relatively inexpensive and end when the child is two. In randomized controlled trials, there was a 59 percent reduction in child arrests at age 15 among those who had gone through the program.
Additionally, children enrolled in high-quality preschool and Pre-K programs benefit in both the long-term and the short-term. As children, they are more likely to graduate high school, receive above-average test scores, and have positive attitudes towards school. They are also less likely to repeat a grade or require special education. As adults, they have higher rates of stable employment, home and car ownership, family involvement, and educational attainment, and lower rates of social service use, criminal activity, and substance abuse.
High-quality early learning programs impact health outcomes as well as academic achievement. Schools are an essential vehicle for promoting health and providing health education, and the earlier children can be reached, the better the outcomes. Despite concerns that children enrolled in preschool programs get sick more often due to the exposure and spread of germs between children, research shows that early learning programs can improve a child’s long-term and short-term health. These programs can serve as a pathway to increasing healthy behavior and accessing necessary health care. For example, Head Start programs are required to offer a variety of health screenings and referrals and to provide nutritious meals. Further, early learning programs with qualified teachers are also much more likely to identify children with developmental disorders like autism, which allow for early interventions and improved outcomes for the child.
If the humanitarian and health aspects of investing in high-quality early learning haven’t been convincing enough, the economic aspects will be. According to Nobel laureate economist Dr. James Heckman, the most cost-effective route to strengthening our workforce is to invest in early education. “A large body of empirical work at the interface of neuroscience and social science has established that fundamental cognitive and non-cognitive skills are produced in the early years of childhood, long before children start kindergarten… Later remediation of early deficits [such as repeating grades in school, job training, GED] is costly, and often prohibitively so,” notes Heckman.
Investments in high-quality early learning provide significant long-term dividends. This is especially true for children who are most at risk for poor outcomes. Longitudinal studies show a societal return on investment ranging from $3 to $16 per every dollar spent, with an average return on investment of $10. One of the most significant economic impacts of expanding high-quality early learning is the reduction in crime expenditures as the children grow up.
On a state and federal level, Head Start and Early Head Start provide early learning, health screenings, and family support for children ages 0-5 who meet the federal poverty guidelines. Critics note that educational gains for Head Start participants typically fade by 3rd grade, but certain life skills do not. Children in Head Start programs are less likely to repeat a grade or be diagnosed with a learning disability, and more likely to graduate high school and attend college. Head Start is a step in the right direction, but we can do better.
Many cities and states have already realized the importance of high-quality early learning, and are creating innovative ways to fund it. Voters across the country, from Denver to San Antonio to Memphis, have voted in favor of referendums that increase funding and expand high-quality early learning programs. In New York City, one of Mayor De Blasio’s key priorities is making Pre-K available to every four year old in the city. Initiatives like these poll well with both Democrats and Republicans; a 2013 survey found that 84 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Republicans support expanding early learning.
Investing in high-quality early learning and expanding existing programs is not a panacea. Poverty is complex and needs to be addressed on many different levels. Nevertheless, right now we have the opportunity to improve academic, health, and career outcomes significantly for those who need it most. We can invest wisely now, or face higher costs down the road.