Institute Chair Laura Tyson and Trustee Lenny Mendonca recently published a great piece on how essential high-quality early childhood education is to development as well as for economies.
It reads in part:
BERKELEY – High-quality early childhood education is one of those rare issues that unites people of all social strata and across the political spectrum. But the consensus about the benefits – both for the children and society – does not extend to delivery and funding. The good news is that, with an impressive array of new models being implemented, important lessons are emerging about how to shape, finance, and scale future early education programs.
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One of the more ambitious initiatives being implemented today in the US is the Big Lift in San Mateo County, California, which is working to ensure that all children in the county read at grade level by third grade (the current rate is 43%). The program focuses on building capacity for early education and improving support for the children who need the most help. Initiated by a broad coalition of county leaders and funded by a combination of county sales tax, federal grants, and philanthropy, the Big Lift has raised $28 million and gotten more than 200 organizations involved.
To read the full piece visit Project Syndicate here.