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Early Education Facts and Quotes

EARLY LEARNING AND SCHOOL READINESS

Early Brain Development
The human brain develops more rapidly between birth and age five than during any other subsequent period. (Source: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, 2000)

85% of the foundation for a child’s intellect, personality and skills is formed by age 5. Children are born ready to learn. (Source: Brain Initiative, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, 2006)

The early years matter
“Although there have been long-standing debates about how much the early years really matter in the larger scheme of lifelong development, out conclusion is unequivocal: What happens during the first months and years of life matters a lot, not because this period of development provides an indelible blueprint for adult well-being, but because it sets either a sturdy or fragile stage for what follows.”
(Source: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, 2000)

School Achievement Gap:
Wisconsin students of color have significantly lower rates of graduation when compared to their white peers. The gap is particularly troubling for black students, who had a graduation rate of 63% in 2003, compared to 96% for whites. About half of the achievement gap between white and black high school students is present when children begin kindergarten. (Source: Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Mind the Gap: Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Education Demands Commitment, 2006)

What Settings are Wisconsin’s Young Children In?

Most of our young children have working parents: In 2006, 71 percent of all children under the age of six in Wisconsin had all parents in the labor force, giving Wisconsin the 4th highest percentage in the nation. Nationally, 62 percent of children under 6 have all parents working. Most of Wisconsin’s young children spend considerable time in out-of-home settings for care and early education. (Source: 2007 Kids Count, The Annie E. Casey Foundation).

The qualifications of those teaching and care for are children vary dramatically: Educational qualifications for teachers in four-year-old kindergarten (4K), Head Start, licensed child care centers, and family homes in Wisconsin vary widely:

• Public School 4K: teacher’s license approved by DPI --bachelor’s degree required

• Public School Special Education for Children Ages 3-5: early childhood special education license, bachelor’s degree required

• Birth to 3: early childhood special education license or equivalent, bachelor’s degree required

• Head Start: 70% have Associate Degree (2-year) or higher

• Child Care Centers: 29% have Associate Degree or higher

• Family child care homes: 20% have Associate Degree or Higher

(Sources: Wisconsin Child Care Research Partnership, Issue Brief #16, What do we know about the workforce in child care centers, 2005: and Wisconsin Head Start Association Testimony, Speaker’s Task Force on Four-Year-Old Kindergarten, 2006; DPI data; Birth to 3 program data)

The quality of Wisconsin’s child care needs improvement: A 2002 study of Wisconsin child care centers receiving child care subsidies from state government found that only 15% of the programs had good or excellent quality. Eleven percent were of poor quality, and for 74% the quality was “mediocre.” (Source: Wisconsin Child Care Research Partnership,” Public Policy Series Report #2, “Improving Child Care Quality,” UW-Extension, March 2003).

Investment in Early Learning Brings High Returns

Investment and Brain Development: “While 85% of a child’s core brain structure is formed at an early three, less than 4% of public investments on education and development have occurred by that time.”  (Source: Child and Family Policy Center & Voices for America’s Children, Early Learning Left Out: An Examination of Public Investments in Education and Development by Child Age, 2004)

High Return for Investment in High-Quality Early Education:
“Investments in high-quality early education programs have the highest rate of return of any social investment. (Source: James Heckman, University of Chicago Economist and Nobel Laureate, Lessons from the Technology of Skill Formation, 2005)

“In short, high-quality preschool programs offer societal benefits that far outweigh program costs by improving later education, employment, earnings, and crime outcomes of students who attend preschool.”  (Source: Executive Summary, Committee for Economic Development, The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool: Using Early Education to Improve Economic Growth and the Fiscal Sustainability of States and the Nation, 2006)