A child's early years are the most important learning years in a lifespan.

In a child's early years, every day feels like magic. In his mind's eye, the toddler who roars through the house like a dinosaur is a dinosaur. In these tender years, the world is a constant source of wonder and boundless possibility.

These early years are more than magic — they are the most important learning years in a lifespan. Brain development in the first few years rockets along at a pace we can hardly imagine - 700 new neural connections per second. These years are not only precious. They are foundation years that predict the future of the child, and consequently, of all of us.

It is my challenge, as president of a nonprofit that supports quality early care and education, to remind adults, both parents and non-parents, that the years before school are as important to learning as any that follow.

It is investment in early childhood that will yield our most positive gains. Nobel laureate economist James Heckman, as concerned as any about spending restraints, advised the president's deficit commission that failing to invest now in quality preschool education will result in "a deficit in human capital that will take generations to correct."

Heckman explains that dollars spent on early childhood are spent at the time when they offer the biggest payoff - an investment that pays interest every year for the life of the child.

The many long-term benefits of quality early care and education are well substantiated, both for the child and for the rest of us. What is that payoff? Nothing short of reduced drop-out, reduced grade retention, reduced special education referrals, reduced juvenile justice involvement, increased college education and increased income as working adults.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7383268.html