Early childhood education: investment brings big results.

AuthorCalder, Jennifer

What do law enforcement representatives, Republican and Democratic governors, and Nobel Prize-winning economists all have in common? They all support investment in early childhood education. Research on the return on investment in high-quality early childhood education shows short- and long-term savings of between $4 and $ 12 for every dollar invested. Though the evidence is overwhelming, Montana is one of only eight states that does not provide funding for preschool. To understand why investing in high-quality early care and education is a better return on investment than the stock market, we need to uncover what happens in the early years.

Brain Architecture

Advances in neuroimaging technology have allowed us to unlock the mysteries of the brain--how it develops and functions across the life span. In the first few years of life, 700 to 1,000 new neural connections form every second. Because of this rapid development, scientists and researchers from a range of fields look to the first five years as the greatest opportunity for investment.

Pat Levitt, director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Southern California, seeks to illuminate the connections among neuroscience, economics, and early childhood. While not intended to reflect precise measurements, his graph (Figure 1) is a conceptual model that illustrates core developmental concepts. Early experiences affect the architecture of the brain and how it is built by determining which neural circuits are made stronger through use and which are pruned through lack of use. As the brain develops and refines its circuitry, it loses some of its flexibility. The ability to "rewire" or change the brain and behavior decreases over time. Just like building a house, when it comes to brain architecture, it's better to get it right the first time than to try to fix it later.

How is Brain Architecture Built?

Think of the back-and-forth volley in a tennis match. One player serves, the other returns. Brain architecture is built this same way. It is the back and forth between adult and child that supports optimal development. A child babbles, a parent responds positively. The child babbles more, and neural connections are built. If adults--parents and caregivers - do not respond to children's vocalizations and gestures in encouraging ways, the child's learning process is incomplete.

How Can Development be Disrupted?

Because a young child's environment is largely one shaped by...

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