Education: Invest in early education for Montana’s children and their future

Nobel-prize winning economist James Heckman has found that every dollar invested in high-quality early childhood programs for disadvantaged children returns 7 percent to 10 percent per child, per year through better outcomes in education, health, reduced social spending and lifelong productivity. Early childhood programs also help children cultivate the cognitive and character skills needed to thrive in the 21st century.

Business leaders, like those of Google, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard and Boeing and some of the hundreds of Montana companies that attended Sen. Max Baucus’ Montana Economic Development Summit in Butte (Sept. 1) know the importance of having skilled, educated workers who can master complex tasks and spur innovation. But for Montana to have a strong workforce tomorrow, we need to start teaching children the skills to succeed from Day one by making greater investments in early childhood education.

In my work helping Missoula families get the education and services they need to find and pay for quality child care, I have seen how early childhood education can help children gain the knowledge and skills necessary to start school and life off on the right foot.

Kelly Rosenleaf, Executive director, Child Care Resources http://www.childcareresources.org/, Missoula

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/opinion/mailbag/education-invest-in-children-future/article_98a13102-251a-11e3-9559-001a4bcf887a.html