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By Barbara Benjamin-Treviño

Editor’s Note: This post was so compelling that we are presenting it in two parts.

How Early Childhood Education Reduces High School Dropouts

With the upcoming presidential election reaching fever pitch, the topic of comprehensive early childhood education in the U.S. has gained increased attention. In a May 2008 study, the RAND Corporation) looked at how economics might help guide early childhood policies (http://www.rand.org/news/press/2008/05/12/). The study’s authors describe a growing body of economic research suggesting that “public investment in early childhood programs may be able to lower public costs for social services by improving children’s long-term welfare.” In an earlier Rand study entitled “Prepared to Learn,” (http://www.rand.org/news/press/2008/06/18/index1.html)

researchers found that “children from lower-income families, children whose mothers have less education and Latino children are significantly less likely than others to attend center-based early care and education programs, even though they are among the groups that consistently show a lack of readiness for school.” The ranks of those considered low-income are populated disproportionately by minorities.

Susan Hoff, CEO of Child Care Group (www.ccgroup.org) in Dallas, TX urged policymakers and community leaders to follow the advice of the economists: “Invest early and invest well. The returns are too good to pass up.” In a public radio commentary on Dallas station KERA, Hoff reminded listeners of the positive outcomes of the Perry Project, an experiment conducted about 50 years ago demonstrating that the earlier you teach children, the more successful they are in life. (http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1356160&sectionID=1)

Such findings seem like common sense, rather than true breakthroughs. Then why is there still such a “disconnect” between a problem and its solution? You may recall the suspicions cast for many years on educational initiatives that could not be measured quantitatively. The new mantra for education became “accountability, accountability, accountability,” spurred by the legislative and business communities looking for “hard data.” Well, the numbers are in. And just like the Perry Project many years ago, they point in one direction. Investment in high quality early childhood education is worth the effort. Such investments not only help the most at-risk students succeed academically and socially, they also help to reduce later dependence on public services. Like similar thorny problems, an appropriately-funded strategy properly executed helps not only to avert a crisis but also pays off in the long-term. Early childhood education promotes continued education. This leads to the next question…

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