Early education crucial to economic future

Investment in high-quality early child development and education is a powerful way to spur economic growth. Research shows children who attend high-quality early child care and education programs are more likely to graduate high school and pursue further education and training.

Business leaders who are motivated by the latest research that shows investment in early child development will ultimately benefit our economy. They understand that having large numbers of children unprepared to learn effectively dramatically reduces school success rates and weakens our work force.

There is a growing body of work proving the importance of the first five years of a child’s brain development in establishing the foundation for future success. Yet more children are entering our school systems unprepared to learn. This is not only a child development and education issue; it is an economic development issue for Wisconsin. When we fail to take advantage of children’s early learning potential, our communities suffer.

What can business leaders do about it? We can understand the importance of investment in critical resources to our businesses and the economy. We can encourage lawmakers to consider whether Wisconsin’s investment in early childhood development programs is aligned with economic and community needs.

In a time of tight private and public budgets, we must have the foresight and resolve to declare early childhood investment a top priority. We need to raise awareness among more Wisconsin business and legislative leaders of the benefits of investing in early childhood development.

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/article_67333c2e-a8f4-52a1-ba2a-d7696fa8b2ed.html

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