Download An essential investment - Center for Public Education

Pre-Kindergarten: An Essential Investment
State and local school boards, superintendents, principals, and teachers are united in their
support of high quality pre-kindergarten education. The evidence is clear on the benefits of this
policy for children, public education and tax-payers. High-quality early childhood education is
not just an ideal; it’s an essential investment.
Early education matters.
Eighty-five percent of a child’s brain development takes place by the age of five. These early
years are a time of tremendous growth for children and lay the foundation for the rest of their
educational lives. The quality of their environment—the extent to which children encounter
stimulating and nurturing environments that are rich in language, and focus on multiple aspects
of child development—has a powerful impact on how they develop and learn.
The evidence is overwhelming.
Numerous state and national studies show that high quality pre-k education makes a critical
difference in children’s achievement. Children who attend pre-k are better prepared for school
and score higher on reading and math assessments in the elementary grades than children who
do not attend pre-k. They are also less likely to be placed in special education and more likely
to graduate from high school.
Pre-K is a wise investment.
Leading economists contend that investing in early childhood development yields a much
higher return than most government-funded economic development initiatives. Cost-benefit
analyses show annual rates of return, adjusted for inflation, ranging between 7 and 20 percent.
Longitudinal studies have calculated as much as $17 in social benefits for every dollar invested
due to reduction in remedial education costs, increased labor productivity, and reduction in
crime.
The U.S. can do better.
The United States spends 0.4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on pre-primary
education—an amount below many of our biggest competitors. Belgium, France, and Italy
enroll 95 percent of children ages 3 to 6 in universal, public preschool programs. Other
countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, Hungary, Japan, Germany, Spain, and Russia all
have higher percentages of 4-year-olds enrolled in school than the U.S.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Pre-K Coalition is a collaboration of the American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of
Teachers, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National
Association of State Boards of Education, National Education Association, and the National School Boards
Association to develop consensus on pre-kindergarten policy goals.