Research reveals that quality early childhood development programs show long term cost savings of up to $7.16 per dollar spent (Schweinhart, 2003, p.5). Of course, the benefits are not as great for low quality programs. There are definitive differences in child outcomes over time between children who attended high quality versus low quality early childhood programs. The effects of child care quality (high or low) are long term, and high quality is especially important for the development of children at risk.

Research findings show that:

• High quality early childhood development is an important element in achieving the national goal of having all children ready for school.
• High quality early childhood development continues to positively impact children’s performance well into their school careers.
• Children who traditionally have been at risk for not doing well in school are affected more by the quality of early childhood development experiences than are other children.
• The quality of early childhood development classroom practices is related to children’s cognitive development, while the closeness of the child care teacher-child relationship influences children’s social development through the early school years.

Additional information is available from the following sources:

Schweinhart, L.J.  (April, 26, 2003). Benefits, Costs, and Explanation of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Tampa, FL. High/Scope Educational Research Foundation: Ypsilanti, MI.

Lynch, R.G. (2005). Exceptional returns:  Economic, fiscal, and social benefits of investment in early childhood development. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute. http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/books_exceptional_returns

This book was published by the Economic Policy Institute in 2005 and is available for purchase or as a free download. It outlines the benefit-cost ratios for early childhood development investment, as well as the effects of this investment on future government finances, the economy, and crime. It is based on serving 100% of the three- and four-year-olds that are in poverty, which is 20% of the total population.

The Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study is a major national study conducted by researchers at four universities.

This study followed children for four years. Printable copies are available at http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/pages/cq.cfm

From this home page, an executive summary and technical report are available as pdf’s, or hard copies can be purchased. The study looks at the relationships between child care quality and children’s patterns of development from the preschool years through second grade. The findings take into account differences in background characteristics, and examine whether child care quality related to outcomes varies for children from different backgrounds.