Did you know that every $1 invested in high quality child care, Head Start, and public school pre-k programs returns at a minimum $3.50 to Texas communities? Research from Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University found that to be true.
While you may know it, I’ll bet not all of your community leaders know the solid return on investment that comes from high quality early education programs. Take time today to make sure your leaders know that investing in high quality child care, Head Start, and public school pre-k programs has a 350% return and leads to the following: - More children entering kindergarten school ready;
- Fewer children being retained a grade level in school;
- Fewer children being referred to special education programs;
- More children graduating from high school; and
- More Texans entering college.
If research from Texas A&M isn’t enough to convince your leaders, James Heckman, University of Chicago Economics Professor, won the Nobel Prize for answering this question "How can we best invest in human capital development to increase workforce capabilities, raise productivity and social cohesion, and assure America’s economic competitiveness in the global economy?” The answer he found was that the single best investment for communities to make is to invest in comprehensive early childhood development for children ages birth to five.
The 83rd Legislative Session begins in January 2013, but preparations for the session have already begun. Make sure you are educating your current elected officials, as well as those running for office on the importance of high quality early education. In addition, take time to educate your business and community leaders on the issue.
