BUILD Initiative Blog | Early Learning Left Out
Strong Foundations For Our Youngest Children

BUILDing Strong Foundations

BUILD Initiative Blog

rss

 

Early Learning Left Out

President Barack Obama is now the fourth successive president to call for increased public attention to and investments in the education and development of young children. 


The latest edition of Early Learning Left Out (ELLO), produced by the BUILD Initiative, analyzes the most recent available federal, state, and school district budget information to determine how much is invested today in young children and whether that is sufficient to meet the 1989 First National Education Goal that “all children start school ready to learn.”

The data make abundantly clear that America is falling short. ELLO shows that for every dollar the country invests in the education and development of each school-aged child, only seven cents is invested in the education and development of each infant and toddler and twenty-five cents in each pre-schooler.


Since the establishment of the First National Education Goal nearly a quarter century ago:

  • Knowledge of the importance of the early years to lifelong success has advanced.
  • Evidence of successful interventions to improve school readiness has increased.
  • And public support for investments in the earliest years has grown. 
Overall public investments, however, have not increased in any way commensurate with this evidence. And, during the same period, America’s world leadership in educating its children and youth is being challenged, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the earliest learning years.


ELLO not only provides information on current investments, but also shows the limitations of current investments in reaching young children who need additional early childhood supports to start school ready for success.

President Obama’s call for $10 billion annually in new investments in preschool and other early childhood programs would not close this gap, according to ELLO, but it would provide a down payment that would have high long-term benefits to society. 

Particularly important is examining the very earliest – birth to three years – which set the trajectory for children’s development and growth in all subsequent years.

By publishing Early Learning Left Out, the BUILD Initiative hopes that there will be much greater attention directed to policymakers and their positions on early childhood investments at the federal, state, and community levels. While children’s issues often are not “top tier” policy issues, ELLO shows they are critical ones to public policy and the country’s future growth and prosperity.

Related Posts


  • 43 States, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands all Awarded New PDG Grants for State Efforts for Young Children Birth to Five

    The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), jointly with the Department of Education (ED) (the Departments), awarded one-year Preschool Development Grants Birth to Five (PDG B-5) to 43 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands in the final days of 2018. The new Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five program provides states with an historic opportunity to design and implement an early care and education system that gives equitable access to high-quality programs for all children and families.

  • A Learning Table to Improve State Early Childhood Teaching and Learning Policy: Reflections and Recommendations

    BUILD Initiative and CEELO recently released A Learning Table to Improve State Early Childhood Teaching and Learning Policy: Reflections and Recommendations After Three Years of Implementation, sharing lessons learned on/recommendations for providing technical assistance to state early education practices.

  • Taking Best Advantage of Early Learning Standards and Formative Assessment: A How-To

    Sherri Killins, Ed.D
    Director of Systems Alignment and Integration, BUILD Initiative

    Released this week, Catherine Scott-Little and Kelly Maxwell’s chapter, Improving Systems of Learning Through the Use of Child Standards and Assessments, focuses on the practices of eight Early Learning Challenge states as part of BUILD’s E-Book, Rising to the Challenge: Building Effective Systems for Young Children and Families.

  • Brain Building:
    Round Three Early Learning Challenge

    Susan Hibbard
    BUILD Initiative Deputy Director

    BUILD's deputy director, who also co-directs the Early Learning Challenge Collaborative, writes about the opportunities provided by the ELC-RTT. She also cites the many ways that the Early Learning Challenge has been a jumping-off point for important work by states in early childhood systems building in the last two years.

  • Infant Mental Health Consultation: A Wise Investment of CCDBG Dollars

    IECMHC builds the capacity of providers and families to understand the powerful influences of infant and toddler relationships, interactions, and environments on the development of babies. Infant-toddler well-being is promoted and mental health problems are prevented or reduced as a result of the consultant’s partnership with adults in young children’s lives. It can also promote emotional and other important skills for infants and young children.

  • Educate our Youngest Children: States Organize for Early Learning under the Federal Education Law

    As 2017 is coming to a close, the BUILD Initiative decided to check in to see how it is going. In states with well-organized advocates and leaders who are building strong coalitions and developing a focused agenda, some focus on early learning is seen. Let’s take a closer look at Connecticut and New Jersey.
Showing 0 Comment


Comments are closed.