The first five years of a child's life are an important time for growth and development, and lay out the foundations for language, academic ability, habits and socio-emotional development. Research shows that access to high quality early care and education programs help young children grow up ready to succeed in school and life. However, there are large gaps in the quality of early care and childhood programs and not all children receive the maximum benefits from their program. When we invest in replicate high quality programs for children and youth, we can solve these gaps in early childhood development and show significant long-term improvements for children. Investing in  a system of high quality early care and education programs will benefit both young children and society as early investments reap dividends when child development translates into economic development later on.

The first five years of a child's life are an important time for growth and development, and lay out the foundations for language, academic ability, habits and socio-emotional development. Research shows that access to high quality early care and education programs help young children grow up ready to succeed in school and life. However, there are large gaps in the quality of early care and childhood programs and not all children receive the maximum benefits from their program. When we invest in replicate high quality programs for children and youth, we can solve these gaps in early childhood development and show significant long-term improvements for children. Investing in  a system of high quality early care and education programs will benefit both young children and society as early investments reap dividends when child development translates into economic development later on.