Early Childhood Investment Yields Big Payoff Author: Robert G. Lynch

Author Robert G. Lynch makes a compelling case for a nationwide investment in a high-quality, publicly funded early childhood development program, especially for children living in poverty. Making such an investment, writes Lynch, will improve the academic performance and quality of life of millions of our nation’s children, reduce crime, make the workforce of the future more productive, and strengthen our nation’s economy. This Policy Perspectives paper provides an overview of the characteristics of such a program and the benefits of investing in it on a large scale. It also looks 50 years into the future, calculating the impact on federal, state, and local government budgets, the economy, and crime if such a program were implemented now for all low-income 3- and 4-year-old children across the country.