Strategies: What Works to Accomplish the Results You Want?

What Can Policymakers Do?

• Increase Quality Early Care and Education . High quality early education programs that support the full range of children’s development show long-term positive effects on child wellbeing and later school success. [i]

• Improve K-3 academic success . The benefits of high quality early childhood experiences are undermined if children are subsequently exposed to low quality early elementary education (grades K-3). [ii] Emerging research is pointing policymakers toward more effective practices and policies to enhance K-3 learning opportunities and ensure that gains made from early childhood investments continue into K-12.

• Improve school attendance . Success in school and later life depends, in part, on attending school. Children who attend regularly are more likely to succeed academically, socially and emotionally, and have a greater chance of becoming economically productive and engaged citizens.

• Support and strengthen vulnerable families . Child development and long term child outcomes are impaired when parents are unable to provide nutritious meals, stimulating home and child care environments, and stable living situations. [iii]

• Increase access to health care   . Children’s health is directly related to school performance at all levels. Preventive and developmental health services positively affect children’s health trajectories. Low-income young children are particularly vulnerable to factors causing poor health outcomes.

Supporting a system to achieve early academic success is a vital economic development strategy.  One state’s analysis shows that e very dollar invested in a targeted pre-K program will yield $2.32 million in future savings. Offering pre-K to all children can return savings of more than $100 million to the state (over participating children’s lifetimes up to 65 years of age). [iv] Another study found that quality early childhood programs targeting low-income children save $2.36 per dollar invested, HIPPY (Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters) saves $1.80 for every dollar, Parents as Teachers saves $1.23 and the Nurse Family Partnership for low-income women saves $2.88. [v]