Our Economic Future Depends on Investing in Children Now

You’ve heard the arguments before, but last week the Partnership for America’s Economic Success (PAES) hosted a National Economic Forum on Early Childhood Investment in Washington DC. This conference continued to champion the importance of investments in early childhood education as essential to the economic prosperity of our country.

Attending the conference were a wide range of business leaders, policy experts, educators, and government officials, Democrats and Republicans, united (surprisingly) in their recognition that investing in children is both a moral and economic imperative. In his opening remarks, Robert Dugger, Managing Partner for the Hanover Investment Group and founder of PAES, outlined 5 key principles for allocating state and federal resources:

• Human Capital – To achieve growth and fiscal sustainability, government should place its greatest emphasis on strengthening the skills and capacities of every American
• Young Children – Our nation should focus especially on children, from before birth to five years of age, and their families
• Evaluation – Return on investment should be a key consideration in public resource allocation decisions
• Transparency – Government should enable citizens to understand and participate in the assessment of all revenue and spending decisions
• Sustainability – State and federal budgets should be viable over the long term

While Michael Mandel, former Chief Economist of Business Week, made a compelling economic case for investing in early childhood education, Representative John Spratt (D-South Carolina) provided a sobering reminder of the broader economic challenges facing our country and the competing priorities for our limited resources.

Investments take time and patience, and political horizons are often short, seeking only immediate returns. While it is easy to feel skeptical, disillusioned and disenfranchised with the muddled state of affairs in Washington, it is more important than ever to raise your voice on behalf of your children and children throughout our country.

Our representatives need to know that children come first and that our economic future and security depends on that investment—and, in turn, that your support depends on their wisdom and courage to stand up for children. Reach out to your local and national representatives with this message.

Let your voice be heard. Every year more than 4 million children are born in this country, and every year that we compromise their future is a year that they can never get back–nor can we.

Bay Area Report Citing Lack Of Affordable, Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Alternatives Supports National Issue

Moving from national to more local politics related to education, last week I represented Knowledge Universe at the Board of Directors Meeting of Bay Area Council.

This prestigious organization is composed of business leaders from the nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area who have come together to improve the quality of life in this area.  With representation of close to 300 businesses, the Bay Area Council has mobilized around several critical issues that impact all the citizenry of these diverse communities.

Not surprisingly, education and specifically early childhood education is one of the key priorities of this impressive group. Led by Ken McNeely, President of AT&T California, the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Committee recognizes that providing quality experiences for young children is not only a social imperative, it is a business issue that will impact not only the children directly served, but the long term economic prosperity of the region and our global competitiveness.

An important work product of this Committee was a comprehensive report issued last May,  Key to Economic Success in the 21st Century: Investment in Early Childhood Programs. This report provides an overview of the research that supports the case for early childhood education as well as an analysis of the current status of ECE in the Bay Area.

Despite the region’s reputation for innovation and thought leadership, the report highlights significant gaps in both the accessibility and affordability of quality care alternatives for children of all backgrounds, with only about one-third of eligible Bay Area children receiving child care subsidies. Unfortunately, this sad state of America’s children is pervasive around the country.

As politicians debate health care reform, the war in Afghanistan, and our economic recovery, please remember that as parents we have a unique opportunity to raise our collective voices on behalf of our children and their future. Please stay as actively involved in your child’s education as you can–whatever the setting, whatever your child’s age. As a parent, I encourage you to contact your State and Local Representatives on this issue. You can find their contact information at: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Only with your advocacy and involvement will the children of today become prepared to be the leaders of tomorrow.