Early Education: Capturing the Nation s Attention

1. Early Education:Capturing the Nation�s Attention

2. The Trusts� Early Education Initiative Goal: To promote universal access to high-quality early education for 3 and 4 year olds Research that informs policy debate (National Institute for Early Education Research) Advocacy that ensures policy makers hear diverse messages of support (Trust for Early Education) Federal States: Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Carolina New messengers: business, law enforcement, K-12 community

3. Overview of the presentation Why is early education important? What is the state of early education in the United States? What are the benefits of early education programs? What are our challenges moving forward?

4. I. Why is early education important?

5. What we used to believe about brain development? Nature vs. nurture Children needed to be held and hugged but �real� learning started later in life Brain development activity is at its peak when children go to school

6. Current Psychology? �Very often, in attempting to call forth and cultivate the intellectual facilities of children before they are six or seven years of age, serious and lasting injury has been done to both the body and mind.�

7. Current Psychology - 1833 �Very often, in attempting to call forth and cultivate the intellectual facilities of children before they are six or seven years of age, serious and lasting injury has been done to both the body and mind.� Dr. Amariah Brigham

9. What we know now about brain development? Children are born with brain synapses not fully connected Brain development is most active from prebirth to age 5 Environment has significant impact � nature and nurture

10. II. What is the state of early education in the United States?

11. What does high quality early education mean? Beyond �child care�- includes a strong education component Multifaceted - addresses children�s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development Developmentally appropriate - not chaining kids to desks; plenty of learning through play

12. Early Education is already popular among U.S. families Most families enroll three and four year olds in non-parental care. Families with a stay-at-home parent are also choosing to enroll their children in non-parental care at similar rates to two income families.

14. Early Education is used by stay-at-home moms and two-income families

15. III. What are the benefits of early education?

16. High quality early education has significant impact High quality early education reduces: Grade retention Special education placement High school drop-outs Juvenile and adult crime Unemployment School readiness gap

18. Perry Number of Arrests by Age 27

19. Perry Economic Effects at Age 27

20. Abecedarian Outcomes at 21

21. CPC Outcomes at School Exit

22. CPC Impact on Child Abuse and Neglect

24. Economic Return from Perry

25. IV. What are our challenges moving forward?

27. What�s the problem? High cost to families Lack of quality early education, even for middle class families Performance gap between the rich and everyone else

28. Child Care Expenses as a Percentage of Income

30. 

31. Quality is Lacking

34. High income families define participation goal

35. An uneven start

36. Public Opinion on Early Education

38. Total State Spending in State funded Pre-K (1991-92 and 1998-99)

39. Participation in State-funded Pre-K (1991-92 and 1998-99)

42. What�s happening now in the states? Uneven systems, funding and progress Diverse approaches to enacting universal early education Legislation (New York, Oklahoma) Litigation (New Jersey) Ballot measure (Florida) Fiscal crisis is impeding progress of the last decade

43. The States� Fiscal Crisis � Severe and Protracted �This is the worst fiscal crisis for the states that I�ve ever seen, really, going back to the post World War II period.� � Richard P. Nathan, State University of New York Budget deficits are looming over state governments will likely reach $60 billion to $85 billion in fiscal 2004, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. (Wall Street Journal, 1/2/03)

44. What is happening on the federal level? Reauthorization of major federal legislation Child Care and Development Block Grant (2003) Head Start (2003) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (2003) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2003) Higher Education Act (2003)

45. Head Start reauthorization Opportunity to engage in a national discussion about prekindergarten quality Raises awareness about training and curriculum Sets the table for the broader debate on universal prekindergarten in 2004

46. Recent Developments In the 2002 elections, Florida voters approved a referendum requiring the state to offer free, high quality preschool to all 4 year olds by 2005. In August 2002, the Los Angeles Children and Family First Commission voted to spend $100 million per year of tobacco tax revenues to offer free, high-quality preschool to all 3 and 4 year olds in the county. In December 2002, An Act Establishing Early Education for All 3, 4 and 5 year olds was introduced in the Massachusetts state legislature with the support of over 100 legislators. In August 2002, the Arkansas Education Board endorsed and sent to the legislature a plan to provide universal preschool to 4 year olds.

47. Lack of attention Despite the importance of this issue, the media does not give adequate attention to it: less than 1% of stories in three larger California newspapers focused on nursery school or day care, even though 5.5% of stories focused on education. � (Berkeley Media Studies Group)