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