From Cap Times, Madison
Posted: February 25, 2010

Julia Taylor, president, the Greater Milwaukee Committee; Jon Stellmacher, senior vice president, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans; Susan Lipp, president, Full Compass Systems

To revitalize Wisconsin’s competitive lead and ensure long-term economic prosperity and fiscal stability, it’s clear we must invest our limited resources wisely.

Investment in high-quality early child development and education is a powerful way to spur economic growth. Research shows children who attend high-quality early child care and education programs are more likely to graduate high school and pursue further education and training, and less likely to enter the criminal justice system or become dependent on public assistance. In Wisconsin, we need to consider what more we can and should invest in our children’s earliest years when the returns on investment are greatest.

A surprising coalition of Wisconsinites is spurring the conversation about improvements to the early childhood education and development infrastructure. They’re not educators or traditional advocates for children. They’re business leaders who are motivated by the latest research that shows investment in early child development will ultimately benefit our economy. They understand that having large numbers of children unprepared to learn effectively dramatically reduces school success rates and weakens our work force.

There is a growing body of work proving the importance of the first five years of a child’s brain development in establishing the foundation for future success. Yet more children are entering our school systems unprepared to learn. This is not only a child development and education issue; it is an economic development issue for Wisconsin. When we fail to take advantage of children’s early learning potential, our communities suffer in many ways: lost worker productivity, higher crime rates, more teenage pregnancy, poorer health, lower rates of high school and college graduation, less self-reliance and motivation in adult life, and the higher tax burdens that result.

Consider the business case for investment in early education:

• The Chicago Child-Parent Center project found that every dollar spent on quality development programs for poor children saves $10, because children who receive high-quality early education do better in school, are less likely to be placed in special education services, repeat grades, drop out of school, or be arrested.

• In 2007 economist Robert Lynch of the Economic Policy Institute estimated a high-quality early learning program for low-income children would have huge benefits in Wisconsin over time, paying for itself in nine years, with benefits surpassing costs by a ratio of 13.6 to 1 by 2050. He used the Chicago Child-Parent program as the quality program model for his estimates.

• An Educare program in Milwaukee is showing similar promising results. A 2009 preliminary study that evaluated the impact of Educare programs in five cities (including Milwaukee) found that children from low-income families entering school after experiencing high-quality early child care and education in Educare programs were scoring very close to national averages, nearly eliminating any school readiness gaps.

What can business leaders do about it? We can put our money where our mouths are. We can understand the importance of investment in critical resources to our businesses and the economy. We can encourage lawmakers to consider whether Wisconsin’s investment in early childhood development programs is aligned with economic and community needs. Gov. Jim Doyle’s YoungStar Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) proposal, soon to be considered by the Legislature’s joint budget committee, is among the ideas we can support.

In a time of tight private and public budgets, we must have the foresight and resolve to declare early childhood investment a top priority, especially for children at risk. We need to raise awareness among more Wisconsin business and legislative leaders of the benefits of investing in early childhood development. And finally, we should encourage a new level of dialogue on state policies and participate in designing locally sustainable solutions for the sake of our children and our economy.

Julia Taylor is president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee; Jon Stellmacher is senior vice president of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans; and Susan Lipp is president of Full Compass Systems.

Editor’s Note: On March 3, the Committee for Economic Development, the Partnership for Wisconsin’s Economic Success, and the United Way of Wisconsin will host a forum on early childhood investment for legislative and business leaders at Madison’s Concourse Hotel.