Early Care and Learning

The achievement gap for low-income young children starts early in life and is difficult to reverse. What science tells us about brain development, along with what we know from economic analysis, makes it clear that investing in high-quality early care and learning is essential to reducing this gap.

States as well as communities make important choices about how much they invest in early care and learning strategies that can improve the odds for healthy early childhood development. Research is clear that early school success for low-income young children also depends on efforts to increase family economic security.

Strategies to help young children with the social and emotional, language, and academic skills they need to succeed in the early school years are critical across all early care and learning settings, starting with infants and toddlers. Of special concern are young children who experience multiple risks beyond poverty and economic hardship.

Publications

• State-based Home Visiting
  Strengthening Programs Through State Leadership
  Report, March 2009
• Guide to Datasets for Research and Policymaking in Child Care and Early Education
  Bibliography, January 2009
• The Challenge of Child Care
  More Help Needed for Houston's Families
  Fact Sheet, November 2008
• Basic Facts about Low-Income Children
  Birth to Age 6
  Fact Sheet, October 2008
• The Challenge of Child Care
  More Help Needed for San Antonio's Families
  Fact Sheet, September 2008