Early Care and Education

• Research shows that the years from birth to 6 are the most crucial years for brain development.
• Licensing is a state regulation that provides only for basic health and safety of children in group settings. But national accreditation, through the National Association for the Education of Young Children, goes beyond licensing requirements to define a standard of excellence for programs for young children.
• The overall supply of childcare programs in Orange County does not meet community needs; there is only 1 licensed child care space for every 7 children with working parents.
• Quality Rating Systems are now in place in 10 states and in development in more than half the country. These systems improve the quality of early learning and empower parents to become savvy consumers and choose the best early education and care for their children.
• Investments in young children’s development pay many long-term dividends. Well-document longitudinal studies have shown that quality early childhood education increases children’s success in school and throughout their lives:

Art Rolnick, Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis, says the value of investing in early education is “up to a 16 percent return, adjusted for inflation … What other investment pays that kind of return these days?” That return is based on research that has sown that a quality early childhood education saves money in social costs throughout the lifespan.

Dr. James J. Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, states that in the era of tight budgets, our priorities should be to invest in the very young and emphasize basic learning and socialization skills. In this way, we can build a capable workforce for the future.

Click here to read more about why quality matters in early education programs.