Kris Perry

The President’s Early Childhood and Preschool for All Initiative smartly addresses the need for comprehensive, birth to five early childhood development that will improve education health and economic outcomes—no matter how it is funded. The president’s Initiative is fiscally sound and makes dollars and sense. This is a great opportunity that must be seized to build a better U.S.

President Obama sends a clear and well-documented message: quality early childhood development from birth to age five is critical to making sure every child has the foundational skills for success in the 21st century. And, that has great economic returns for all Americans.

We know that investments in early childhood education pay dividends in the short- and long-term. Widely cited research from Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman’s shows that investing in high-quality early learning experiences and enriched family environments for disadvantaged children from birth to five yields a 7-10 percent return—per child, per year—through improved edu

While Education Secretary Arne Duncan may have been loose in his remarks on sequestration last week, the education community should not respond-in-kind when it comes to the very real threat of budget shortfalls, school closings and “pink slips” that can devastate our children and communities. This is especially true for our youngest learners, who will ultimately decide the fate of our nation and economy.

Without hyperbole, here are the facts.

As sequestration takes effect, more than 70,000 children nationwide will lose access to Head Start and Early Head Start and approximately 14,000 Head Start personnel are set to receive pink slips. These are instrumental programs that yield lifelong benefits for vulnerable children by providing the building blocks for cognitive and character development. They also provide families with stable, secure care for their children, making it possible for parents to work, earn a living and contribute to their communities.

In a time of impending austerity, we must find ways to stretch tax-payer dollars and cast a wi

A call from the nation’s chief executive to expand access to early childhood education to our most at-risk children has created a much-needed national spotlight on the power of early learning. While the president’s plan undoubtedly brings new questions to bear, participation and purse strings should not be among them.

The president’s proposal rightfully signals that early childhood is the next frontier in American ingenuity — a stance that policymakers from red and blue states alike have embraced in recent months. As proposed, the president’s plan should have significant appeal to Democratic and Republican governors, many of whom having worked tirelessly to find workable solutions to their state’s biggest educational, health and economic challenges. Aside from policymakers, President Obama also joins a growing chorus of economists, advocates and business leaders who agree that quality early childhood education is the key to building human capital and strengthening our economy.

In the spirit of partnership, the president’s pl

The current political focus on skills development is one of the rare instances where fashion meets substance in Washington—a great moment that should be celebrated and acted upon by anyone who wants to leave a stronger and more prosperous America to future generations.

Policymakers are finally looking at the right driver for improving education, health and economic outcomes. Building skill upon skill from infancy through preschool, school and young adulthood is the best way to guarantee a highly valuable workforce that drives a strong national economy.

The economic fate of any country rests in the skills of its people. Human capital creates economic capital. That means we have to spend capital on people in order to make capital with people. Labor economist and Nobel Laureate James Heckman has shown that low levels of skill result in declines in wages and increases in the need for social assistance. He also draws a direct causal link between high skills and high economic productivity. Most importantly, his extensive research clearly shows that the most importan

My advice to anyone seeking better education, health, social and economic outcomes is to embrace the fact that education starts at birth — not at age 4, not in kindergarten — at birth. Fully developing the potential in our children and guaranteeing a skilled and productive workforce starts the moment a child is born. Our public policy needs to reflect the new knowledge we have about human development, specifically that waiting until age 4 for pre-K learning is too little, too late. The definition of effective early learning must be expanded to encompass birth to age 5, with a distinct focus on the most critical developmental period—the first three years of a child’s life.

Research conducted by University of Chicago Nobel Prize winning economist James Heckman shows that investing in early childhood development from birth to age 5 for disadvantaged children is the best way to prevent the achievement gap and maximize later investments in formal schoo