Economic Evidence — Invest in Kids

Dedicating resources to children — especially young children — is an economic development strategy.  Investing in education, when done in thoughtful, measured ways, is one of the soundest investment decisions we can make.

Funds allocated to early development and health grow over time.  In fact, economists demonstrate that economic investments early in children’s lives reap a higher return (more bang for the buck) than investments later in life. 

The graph to the right shows how much more is gained by investing early.

Strengthening our economy competitively and fiscally, means state and local governments and Arizona businesses must think long-term and put the lifetime success of future generations at the top of their priority lists. The global market is continually changing and it is the young children of today who will be the innovators of tomorrow.  Strong support for the development of babies and toddlers today leads to the mastery of skills necessary for a workforce that drives a vibrant economy.

In hard economic times, we must make difficult decisions in the allocation of scarce resources. Choosing to invest in early childhood potential of young children is like planting a garden. With care, the investment will grow from a tiny seed to a blooming bounty.

The bottom line is simple — want to grow the economy?  Invest in kids. 

More Information on the Positive Economic Impact of Investing in Young Children

Dr. James Heckman - The Heckman Equation

Partnership for America's Economic Success

Committee for Economic Development - Early Care and Education

Mission Readiness:  Military Leaders for Kids

Ready, Set, Go:  Why Business Should Support Early Childhood Education

Cunha F., Heckman J., Lochner L., Masterov D., (2005) Interpreting the Evidence on Life Cycle Skill Formation (North-Holland, Amsterdam) cited in Knudsen, E.I., Heckman, J.J., Cameron, J.L. & Shonkoff, J.P. (2006) Economic, neurobiological, and behavioral perspectives on building America’s future workforce. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 103, 10155-10162.