In “Caring Relationships: The Heart of Early Brain Development,” the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) explains that in the first three years of life, the building blocks of a child’s brain develops the foundations for future social, emotional, language, and intellectual functioning. These building blocks are called neural connections, and it is through these connections that signals are sent to enable different brain functions.

According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child (the Center), “In the first few years of life, more than one million new neural connections are formed every second.” While new connections are made throughout life, these early years are when the most connections are formed. Positive experiences, such as nurturing responses and interactions from caregivers combined with safe environments that encourage children’s natural desire to explore, stimulate children’s brains to develop a strong foundation for emotional functioning. In “The Science,” Zero to Three explains that these neural connections “are strengthened through repeated positive experiences.” Conversely, when children experience severe and persistent stress in their first three years, their brains’ emotional functioning foundation is weakened. This emotional foundation is the base for all other brain development and has a direct impact on future intellectual and language development.

Dr. Ingrid Campbell, special educator and early childhood expert, explains in “Understanding Brain Development in Babies and Toddlers” that from age three to five, the brain starts to prune the neural connections it deems unnecessary based on children’s experiences in their first five years. This allows for the development of more complex brain functions. Once a connection is pruned, it is more difficult for the connection to be reestablished. According to the Center’s “Brain Architecture,” the cycle of new neural connections forming and unused connections being pruned continues throughout life. However, “… the connections that form early provide either a strong or weak foundation for the connections that form later.” This is why it is critical to ensure children have an abundance of diverse positive experiences in their first five years.

An August 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation states that children’s cognitive and social-emotional development benefits most when early care and education (ECE) is high-quality. “High-quality ECE programs go beyond basic health and safety requirements to provide warm, responsive relationships with educators, stimulating and developmentally appropriate curricula, and ongoing training for educators.” The report further explains that the cognitive benefits include language and literacy, math, and reasoning that prepare children for school success. The social-emotional benefits children gain from attending high-quality ECEs include reduced behavior problems, the ability to get along with others, and stronger self-regulation, involving the ability to regulate emotions and control impulses.

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has identified ten research-based benchmark standards for high-quality state preschool programs, that, according to NIEER’s “State of Preschool 2023 Yearbook,” are “essential for setting the groundwork for high quality experiences for children”:

1. There are comprehensive, vertically aligned, and culturally sensitive early learning and developmental standards for preschool-aged children across multiple domains:
   1. Physical well-being and motor development
   2. Social/emotional development
   3. Approaches toward learning
   4. Language development
   5. Cognition and general knowledge
2. There is an approval process and support for the selection and implementation of a strong curriculum
3. Lead teachers have at least a bachelor’s degree with specialized early education knowledge and training
4. Lead teachers have specialized training in early childhood education and/or child development that includes knowledge of learning, development, and pedagogy specific to preschool-age children
5. Assistant teachers have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or equivalent
6. Teachers and assistants participate in at least 15 hours of professional development per year, have individual professional development plans, and receive coaching
7. There are no more than 20 students per class
8. There is one teaching staff member for every 10 children
9. Children receive vision, hearing, and health screenings and are referred for follow-up services when needed
10. There are structured classroom observations, and the data is used for program improvement

The National Institute for Early Education Research reports in “Early Childhood Education: Three Pathways to Better Health” that “…participation in quality early childhood education and development programs can directly improve children’s physical and mental health.” Further, an increase is children’s cognitive and social-emotional skills can lead to improved health.

In the 2023 “Untapped Potential: Florida” report, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Florida Chamber Foundation state, “…children with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) resulting from insufficient child care are more than twice as likely to experience anxiety, three and a half times as likely to be depressed, and seven times more likely to engage in alcohol abuse.”

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids has membership of over 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and violence survivors working to protect public safety through solutions that steer kids away from crime.  Their “I’m the Guy You Pay Later” brief states, “research has shown that high-quality early education and care from birth through pre-kindergarten will result in more successful outcomes,” including:

• Decreases in child abuse and neglect
• Fewer behavior problems
• Improvements in math and reading throughout school
• Less special education
• Reduced grade retentions
• Increased high school graduation rates
• Less crime and fewer prisoners

Nobel Laureate economist James Heckman “finds that every dollar spent on high-quality, birth-to-five programs for disadvantaged children can deliver a 13 percent per annum return on investment from better education and health outcomes for children, employment gains for parents, greater economic productivity, and reduced spending on healthcare and crime.”

The First Five Years Fund reports in “Child Care and Pre-K are Strategic Economic Investments: Impact on Employment and Earnings,” “…children who attend high-quality early learning programs have more economic independence later in life. This can translate into better physical and mental health and increased civic engagement. Combined, these all hold promising economic benefits to increase the vitality of the nation’s economy.”

In March and April 2023, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Florida Chamber Foundation conducted research showing:

• Florida loses $5.38 billion annually due to child care breakdowns
• Child care related employee turnover and absenteeism costs Florida employers $3.47 billion per year
• Florida misses $911 million annually in tax revenue due to the child care crisis

According to Mission: Readiness, a national organization of retired admirals, generals, and other top military leaders, 77 percent of 17 to 24 year olds do not qualify for military service due to education, health, or criminal issues. The 2024 “Military Child Care: Lessons for the Nation” reports that children who attend high-quality child care and preschool are better prepared for school and have higher academic achievement throughout school. Further, obesity risk and behavior problems decrease.

Major General Michael Hall, U.S. Air Force (Retired) and Mission: Readiness member, says, “Investing in child care provides a triple win: children have access to an environment for healthy development, national security benefits because problems with recruitment and retention due to lack of child care coverage are addressed, and parents’ workforce stability increases.”