First 2000 Days of a Childs Life

Early Childhood Education: A Great Investment

There are approximately 2,000 days between the day a baby is born to the day a child

starts kindergarten. Researchers often refer to this time in one’s life as the “first 2,000

days.” How much impact do these first 2,000 days have on a child’s later life? Why do

these first 2,000 days matter so much? Studies suggest that these first 2,000 days are

not only crucial for their early development but also add to their well-being and

accomplishments later in life. A key factor during these first 2,000 days of development

is early childhood education. Economists have researched the impact of early childhood

education on a child’s quality of life and contribution to society and have found that

every dollar invested in early childhood education produces a 10% return on investment

at not only the local level but the state and national level as well. This return on

investment is seen in many areas, including economic growth, increased education,

decreased crime and the ability for more parents to work.

In December of 2004, Legal Momentum and the MIT Workplace Center at the Sloan School of

Management sponsored a conference, “The Economic Impacts of Child Care and Early Education:

Financing Solutions for the Future.” Attendees of this conference included more than 80 individuals

including scholars, experts, and activists from all over the nation. Together these individuals examined

the short-term and long-term impacts that early childhood education had on the economics of America

The results of their findings were exciting and highlighted how economically helpful

investing in early childhood education was.

The 2004 conference proved that attendance in a high-quality early childhood education program

prepares children for success in school. These children arrive at school with the desire to learn and

usually perform better than those children that didn’t attend some form of early...