A public agenda for early childhood, presented to sef 6 6-2012
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A Public Agenda for Early Childhood Presented to: Southern Education Foundation By: Pat Willis Executive Director June 6, 2012
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The case for public policy and public investment in very young children.
Transcript of A public agenda for early childhood, presented to sef 6 6-2012
A Public Agenda for Early Childhood
Presented to: Southern Education Foundation
By: Pat Willis
Executive Director
June 6, 2012
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Today’s Agenda
• Why early childhood is important• Current status of investments and
outcomes• Politics of early childhood• Reasons for optimism• Key messages for advocacy
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Why Early Investment is Important for Children
– By age three:• Advantaged child knows 1200 words• Disadvantaged child knows 400 words
– By age four:• Advantaged child has heard 48 million words• Disadvantaged child has heard 13 million words
– By age five:• 90% of brain developed • < 10% of public investment expended
16 mos. 24 mos. 36 mos.
Cum
ulati
ve V
ocab
ular
y (W
ords
)
College Educated Parents
Working Class Parents
Welfare Parents
Child’s Age (Months)
200
600
1200
Source: Hart & Risley (1995)
The IlliDisparities in Early Vocabulary Growthenda: Language Acquisition
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Why Early Investment is Important for America
– Short term savings• On special education, reduced grade retention
– Long term savings• On welfare, substance abuse, incarceration• $7 saved per $1 invested
– Workforce development• Higher HS graduation rate and college-going rate
– Military readiness• Through HS graduation, drug and crime avoidance
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THE SOUTH: Leading in Investment, Lagging in Performance
• 9/15 states rate 9-10 on quality of Pre-K– Only 6 other states rate 9-10
• 9/15 states rank above the national average on $ for 0-5 vs. $ for 6-18
• 10/15 states are below the national % of 4th graders reading at or above proficient
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Current Political Environment
• State revenues down; no growth and cuts to continue in education
• Local school districts hampered by lower tax digests• Federal budget cuts in safety net programs• Increasingly hostile political environment for
traditional public schools and those receiving benefits
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Reasons for Optimism
• Leadership and incentives from federal government
• Stronger collaboration of federal and state agencies
• Partnership for America’s Economic Success – business-led
• Mission Readiness – Military leadership
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Deliver the Message
• Early investment produces good results for kids and for America!
• There are no do-overs for childhood.• An investment in young children today reduces costs for
special education and remediation tomorrow.• Children who attend quality Pre-K programs are more
likely to graduate and become taxpayers.• Quality is essential: lower child/adult ratios, pay for well
prepared teachers, develop children with the right curriculum.
Thank You! For more info:
www.georgiavoices.org(Presentation available on SlideShare,net, User: GeorgiaVoices)
