Nobel Laureate Economist James Heckman and venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker agree that solid gains come when quality child care is linked to quality preschool, according to a post from the University of Chicago, Combining Quality Child Care and Preschool.

Here’s a paragraph from the post:

“Greater access to child care frees parents — primarily single mothers — to work and attend school,” the authors write. They caution that not all child care has the same benefits; Professor Heckman’s research shows that low quality child care can actually be harmful to children. The payoffs for high quality child care, however, are substantial. His recent working paper, “The Life-cycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program,” shows that “the annual rate of return on quality child care for disadvantaged children is 13.7 percent per annum.” The ROI is calculated by returns on improved education, health, social and economic outcomes for children, in addition to economic gains made by mothers.

A rate of 13.7 percent per annum! Quality child care for disadvantaged children is worth investing in.

A quote from an op-ed in The Hill by Heckman and Pritzker:

There is strong evidence that disadvantaged families receive the highest economic and social benefits of quality early child care. These families are precisely the group that would most benefit from subsidized child care. Affluent families often already have access to high-quality child care.

Hello, Wisconsin! Are you listening?

Dave Edie
Early Education Policy Analyst