National report: Montana kids lag in early education screening

A new report concluded that Americans as a nation are failing to invest enough in their children’s early years.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest policy report, "The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation," said that children entering kindergarten with below-average language and cognition ability need effective practices and supportive measures to develop their social, emotional and learning skills.

"All children need nurturing and plentiful opportunities to develop during their crucial first eight years," the foundation’s president, Patrick McCarthy, said. "Today’s complicated world can strain families’ ability to ensure their children are receiving all the stimulation and care they need to develop their full potential."

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