A recent poll makes it clear that Americans want more investment in early childhood education. The poll by the bipartisan team of Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research Associates shows that:
• more than 7 in 10 Americans want Congress to invest in learning opportunities for young children;
• 85% ranked giving children a strong start in life as an important national priority, second only to jobs and the economy; and
• 79% of voters thought it was important to make high-quality early learning programs available for infants and toddlers.
Support for early childhood education was across the political spectrum: 60% of Republicans, 68% of Independents, and 84% of Democrats. Voters want Congress to act within two years to ensure that America’s children get a strong start in life.
These results are similar to a October 2011 Wisconsin poll by a conservative think tank, the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, that found that 60% of Wisconsinites surveyed agree that early childhood education is an investment in Wisconsin’s economic future, even when state budget dollars are scarce.
Dave Edie
