5/30/2013

The idea of expanding access to preschool and early learning programs received a big push this week. More than 300 companies and business leaders signed a letter to President Obama and members of Congress, asking them to put more focus on early childhood policy to ensure a “well-prepared workforce.”

“We see other countries investing in their young children both for the long-term benefits of a stronger workforce and the current benefits that come from enhancing the productivity of parents,” the letter says. “To compete, we have to do the same.”

The letter calls on policy makers to:

• Prioritize programs with proven benefits for children and society, such as quality early education for children ages birth to five, home visiting and health care
• Address children in the entire prenatal to age five spectrum, and their parents
• Focus first on children from low- to moderate-income families and other children at risk for school failure
• Give parents high quality options, using a variety of partners and settings that includes the private sector
• Encourage federal and state programs to meet higher quality standards, while also allowing state flexibility to deliver services in a variety of ways
• Include rigorous evaluations that document if resources are achieving improved outcomes for children and promote continuous improvement

Source: Early Ed Watch, The New America Foundation

Available at: http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2013/pre_k_momentum_from_business_leaders-84961