James Heckman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, on early education

James Heckman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, has shown that early-childhood development heavily influences health, economic and social outcomes for individuals and society at large. His research proves that investing in early-childhood development can lead to significant economic gains for society – an average of 10 percent per year through increased personal achievement and social productivity. In addition to saving money, early-childhood investment is more effective than later remediation, such as school interventions, juvenile justice or job training. In the short term, studies confirm that children who attend early-childhood programs have better language skills, math skills, graduation rates, SAT scores and behavior.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2011/04/07/investing-in-early-childhood-education-benefits-all-of-us/