"Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development."

Timothy J. Bartik, an economist at the Michigan-based W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, takes a look at the relationship between high-quality early education and economic development in his new book "Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development." He also writes the Investing in Kids blog http://investinginkids.net/ .

Bartik estimates that each dollar invested in high-quality early childhood programs "produce[s] a $2 to $3 increase in state earnings per capita." He argues that business incentives and early childhood programs should go hand in hand. "Business incentives and early childhood programs should be considered together because they complement each other in a balanced economic development strategy," Bartik writes. "Programs to directly create jobs via business incentives should be complemented by helping local residents obtain the skills needed for those jobs, via policies such as early childhood programs…. Most local and national economies will benefit considerably from strengthening both labor demand and supply."

Full Story: http://eyeonearlyeducation.org/2011/03/23/%E2%80%9Cinvesting-in-kids%E2%80%9D-for-economic-development/

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