Why Does Early Learning Matter

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Why Does Early Learning Matter?
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What Does Success Look Like In King County?

• Today measured in strength
• Strong economy with high-skill. high-wage jobs
• Strong schools
• Strong workforce
• Strong, safe community
• Tomorrow measured in prosperity
• Growing tax base
• Job growth and retention
• Economic development potential
• Robust infrastructure (roads, schools, water
  sewer etc.)

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Another View of Success
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New Math of Future Success 101

• Strong families
• Quality early learning opportunities
• Good health
• Supportive communities
• ___________________________________
• Foundation for learning and school success

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New Math of Future Success 102

• Early learning
• School success
• High school graduation
• College attendance
• ______________________________
• Well-trained, well-educated workforce

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But Were Failing

• 46 of Americas kindergarteners are behind
• Children from low-wage families are 1-2 years
  more behind in language
• Preschoolers in high-income brackets score 60
  higher in cognitive scores than those in the
  lowest brackets
• The achievement gap starts before school does.

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The Achievement Gap Grows

• Of 50 children who are having trouble learning to
  read in
• kindergarten, 44 of them will still have trouble
  in 3rd grade.
• This gap only grows over time -- undermining
  school readiness
• and success in life.
• -- Dr. Craig Ramey, Center for
  Health Education, Georgetown University
• Children without reading skills by 3rd grade are
  unlikely to graduate.

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How Does Our Community Measure Up?

• Early learning is one of United Way of King
  County's top two priorities because community
  assessments and studies have shown that it is one
  of our greatest challengesand our greatest
  opportunity.
• More than half of all kindergartners in
  Washington State are identified by their teachers
  as not prepared for school, and studies indicate
  that kids who start behind often stay behind in
  school.
• Research shows that the quality of a child's
  daily care affects how prepared that child is for
  school, and almost half (48) of children in King
  County, from birth to age 5, are enrolled in
  regularly scheduled child care.
• The poorest children start kindergarten 1-2 years
  behind in language and other skills and 1 in 10
  children in King County lives in poverty.
• In King County, 2 of children born are affected
  by one or more developmental delays. Although
  this number may seem small to some, its impact on
  the community is substantial.

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• Education
• Economic Development

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Challenges Now Supporting Work Productivity

• Early childhood education supports the bottom
  line.Workers need peace of mind that their child
  is in a good, safe place
• Lack of child care leading to employee absences
  cost employers 3 billion a year
• Early learning is part of our economic
  infrastructure
• As critical to economic development as good
  schools, roads, water sewer and other
  incentives

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Challenges Ahead Developing the Workforce

• 20 of todays workforce is functionally
  illiterate
• Emergence of new technology raises the stakes
  even more
• As Baby Boomers retire, fewer well-educated
  workers are stepping in to sustain
  competitiveness
• Growing gap US economy will add fewer educated
  workers in next 20 years, compared to last 20
• Meanwhile, 1 in 3 children are born in poverty
• By the age of 5, many are already developmentally
  behind

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Long-Term Productivity Problem

• This is a major drag on U.S. competitiveness
  and productivity and a source of costly social
  problems.
• Nobel Laureate Economist James Heckman,
• University of Chicago

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Early EducationEconomic Investment

• Return on investment is greatest in the early
  years
• Learning begets learning, creating a skill
  multiplier effect
• Early learning programs can generate 12 public
  rate of return
• Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis
• Investment in human capital breeds not only
  economic success for those being educated, but
  also for the overall economy.
• -- Arthur J. Rolnick, senior vice president
  and director of research, Federal Reserve Bank
  in Minneapolis

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Return On Investment (ROI) Is Strong in Early
Learning

• Policymakers should invest in young children,
  where the return on investment is stronger than
  in low-skill adults.
• Nobel Laureate James Heckman

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Personal ROI Is Strong

• Early learning influences long-term success

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Path to Productivity Starts Early

• Early childhood development programs are rarely
  portrayed as economic development initiatives and
  ... that is a mistake.
• Arthur J. Rolnick, Federal Reserve Bank in
  Minneapolis

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• How Children Learn

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The First Few Years

• Early learning experiences hard-wire the brain
  for future learning, especially in the first few
  years
• Infants brains are twice as active as adults
• Building brains is like building houses
• Architecture matters
• Stress in early years weakens brain architecture

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Relationships Key To Learning

• Children are born learning
• Loving, nurturing relationships foster learning
• Everyday moments are learning moments
• Einstein didnt use flashcards (or Baby Einstein
  videos)

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Learning Happens Everywhere, Every Day

• Learning is always happening, wherever the child
  is
• Home
• Grandmas house
• Child care center
• Neighborhood play group
• Mothers Morning Out at nearby church or
  synagogue
• Preschool

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Parents Are Teachers And They Need Support

• Parents and caregivers dramatically undervalue
  their role in school readiness
• 1 in 3 incorrectly believe their loving
  interaction has little impact on their childs
  learning capacity.
• Parents know the early years matter, but dont
  know exactly what to do to promote early learning
  and dont think they have time to do what it
  takes.

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Its Not Just A Socioeconomic Gap

• 80 of preschool teachers say parents lack of
  understanding about their childs development is
  one of the biggest issues at school
• Teachers rank social and emotional skills as the
  most important school readiness skills -- higher
  than cognitive or computer skills
• But parents ranked as most important for school
  their childs ability to name colors count to 10

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• So what?

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The Challenge

• The best way to develop a well-educated and
  well-trained workforce for the future is to start
  early because even the best schools cannot
  produce the best workers if children are coming
  to school ready to fail.
• -- Former N.C. Governor James B. Hunt Jr.

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Early Learning Is A Business Issue

• Strong schools are a business issue
• Business leaders understand the value of
  long-term investments with deferred benefits
• Business leadership can help boost school
  readiness
• and success

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A Call to Action for Business

• It is certainly clear, from a business point of
  view, that investing in early education should be
  the new national imperative.
• Roy Bostock, Chairman
• Committee for Economic Development

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Public-Private Solutions

• Public, private and nonprofit sectors are working
  together to create innovative solutions in the
  community
• In many states and communities, local
  public-private partnerships are working together
  to invest resources to meet needs of local young
  children

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A View from the Corner Office

• There is nothing more important for our
  future than helping children learn. The research
  proves how important quality early learning is
  for brain and cognitive development. All of us
  must step up and improve conditions for children
  in neighborhoods where they need it most.
• Barry Griswell, CEO of Principal Financial Group
• to the Iowa Business Council

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What Can You Do?

• Support early learning in your business and
  community
• Speak out publicly for early childhood education
• Help make the case to decision makers

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What Were Asking You To Do In Our Community

• Add your specific, local asks here, supported
  by Champion Action Tips, if relevant
• List 1-3 specific action steps, bulleted
• Offer a suggested time frame
• Plan to follow up and offer support

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Another View from the Corner Office

• Economic analysis tells us that early childhood
  education is a sound investment of limited
  resources.
• Scientific research tells us it is an effective
  strategy to improve educational outcomes.
• Common sense tells us that it is what children
  need.
• Mara Aspinall, President of Genzyme Genetics

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• Thank you

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• Policy Solutions

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Policy Solutions A States Purview

• Most early childhood education is funded by state
  dollars, controlled by state legislators
• Some of the areas of most rapid growth in
  state budgets corrections and prison cost,
  special education and behavioral health
  services for children are connected to failures
  in meeting childrens needs in the earliest
  years.
• Charles Bruner,
  Executive Director
• Child and Family Policy
  Center

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Policy Solutions Long-Range Vision Required

• Most early childhood solutions require long-term
  state investment, with deferred payoffs
• Legislators may need help determining long-term
  ROI, especially when facing short-term budget
  challenges
• Cost benefit analysis investments reduce burdens
  on other state coffers, like education and
  juvenile crime
• Graduates of one model early childhood program
  showed 29 increase in high school graduation and
  49 decrease in grade retention and special
  education placement

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Public Spending Brain Research The
DisconnectSource The RAND Corporation
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NOTE INSERT YOUR POLICY SLIDES HERE

• The following slides can be used to set up your
  ask for advocacy support
• on one of these early learning policies
• Quality Rating Improvement System
• Prekindergarten
• Funding for children from birth-3
• Support for family/friend/neighbor caregivers (ie
  unregulated care)
• For each, there is a slide or two that makes a
  case for the policy (with
• Proven messages), followed by examples of policy
  activities, and available
• results that show a positive Return On Investment
  (ROI).
• Use whichever ones are relevant, and add to them
  if you want.
• Or create your own slides, focusing on your
  policy issue. For best results,
• follow our formula the case, an example, then
  results.

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Policy Solutions Quality Rating Systems for
Child Care

• Quality Rating Improvement Systems provide
  ratings like those in hotels and restaurants
  that measure quality of child care centers
• Gives parents more choice and stronger purchasing
  power, with opportunity to choose the best, most
  affordable care
• Funding for training, education, curriculum
  support for early childhood education teachers
• Market-driven approach gives incentives to child
  care providers to improve

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Policy Solutions Quality Rating Systems Results

• North Carolina Instituted 5-star rating system
  and awareness campaign to let parents know how to
  access ratings online
• Funding for teacher training, education
  incentives and center improvements to child care
  centers were tied to star ratings
• Over 10 years, N.C.s star ratings and support
  for improvements changed the state of child care
• N.C. had the worst child care standards in the
  nation
• After 10 years of ratings-driven improvements,
  more than 50 of N.C. children are in 5-star
  child care

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Policy Solutions Preschool

• Voluntary preschool opportunity for all 3- and
  4-year-olds
• Provides access to early education, especially
  for working families who cant afford private
  preschool
• Increases number and quality of preschools
• Ensures children are better-prepared for
  kindergarten
• Increases value of K-12 education investment

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Policy Solutions Preschool

• Illinois State-funded prekindergarten available
  to every 3- and 4-year-old by 2011
• Serving 85,000 children now
• Also dedicates 11 cents of every early childhood
  dollar to programs for at-risk infants and
  toddlers

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Policy Solutions Preschool Results

• New York
• 50 less special education and 25 less grade
  retention
• Connecticut
• Literacy and math skills, social emotional
  skills 2 x as strong
• Chicago
• 26 greater high school graduation rate

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Policy Solutions State Funding for 0-3

• Arizona New state fund for early learning and
  health screenings for young children
• Funded by increased tobacco tax, generating 150
  million/year
• Nebraska New public-private endowment
  supporting at-risk children under 3
• Generates 2 million/year from state-invested
  funds and
• 1 million/year from privately invested funds
• The first 3 million will serve 15 of the 25,000
  at-risk children under 3 in Nebraska

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Policy Solutions State Funding for 0-3 Results

• North Carolina 13 years of Smart Start is
  showing results
• Better skills behavior in school
• Graduates of Smart Start centers are 50 less
  likely to have serious behavior problems in
  kindergarten
• Smart Start raised language and math skills
  demonstrably
• Higher test scores
• Middle schoolers are scoring higher on national
  aptitude tests
• 4th graders have higher math reading scores

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Policy Solutions Support for Informal Care

• Most children under 3 are cared for by family and
  friends
• Low-wage and new immigrant families in particular
  
• Minimal child development education, training or
  formal support
• Caregiver isolation and lack of resources impacts
  child
• Policies emerging to connect and support
  caregivers
• Public-private partnerships
• Strong faith community role
• Informal care being included in early care
  education funding and legislative policies
• Community strategies to reach support
  caregivers

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Policy Solutions Support for Family and Informal
Care

• Minnesota Statewide public-private partnership
  connects informal caregivers to
• Resource networks
• School readiness screenings and assessment
• Early care and education services
• Working to close cultural divides that turn into
  achievement gaps

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Policy Solutions Neighborhood-Based Support

• Atlanta Bundling services
• Engaging low-wage families where they live
• Providing child development education
• Family literacy and parent education
• Hawaii Play and Learn groups
• Traveling preschools led by parent educators
  come to neighborhoods, parks, schools and
  storefronts
• Social opportunities informal play learning
  for all

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Early Learning Policy Needs Business Leadership

• Changing policy to improve school readiness is
  not quick, or easy.
• Its like turning the ship
• . and we need business leaders at the helm.

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In Our Community, We Need Your Help

• United Way of King County is committed to
  promoting early learning and giving parents and
  caregivers the support they need to help children
  get ready for school. With your help, all
  children in our community can look forward to
  healthy, productive lives. When you choose to
  invest in kids, your money helps to fund
• Early care and education programs, such as El
  Centro de la Razas Jose Marti Child Development
  Center
• Parent education and support, such as Welcome
  Baby and workplace education campaigns
• Improving the quality of child care, such as
  through national accreditation
• Keeping children healthy and safe, such as giving
  them access to affordable health and dental care,
  stopping the cycle of violence in abusive
  situations, and identifying developmental delays

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• Children are our future

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Building Human Capital

• The ROI from early childhood development is
  extraordinary, resulting in better working public
  schools, more educated workers, and less crime.
• Arthur J. Rolnick, Federal Reserve Bank in
  Minneapolis

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The Bottom Line

• Invest in the very young.
• -- James Heckman, Nobel Laureate
  Economist

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• Thank you