The Budget: Our Economic and Moral Footprint, Guest Blog

Posted on 04/12/2011 @ 09:48 AM

By: Mimi Graham, Ed.D. and Peter A. Gorski, M.D., M.P.A.

Governor Scott and the Florida Legislature proudly prioritize their dedication to “promote business and jobs” which Florida desperately needs to rise out of our economic slump. We all know that successful business people look for high return on investments and typically look for 10-year trends. So what are the best returns on investment? Early childhood, says James Heckman, Nobel Laureate and distinguished economics professor at University of Chicago. Heckman concludes that promoting the first five years of children’s lives secures the largest return on investment in the economic future of our society and our workforce. Before age five, children establish the building blocks for thinking, learning and social skills that undergird their behavior and success for the rest of their lives. Dollars invested in a child’s development before age 5 produce a higher economic benefit than if the same amount were spent when the child is older. Now that is important information to consider when developing public policy and drafting a state budget that must yield the greatest public good when spending our drastically reduced financial resources.

Economists Rob Grunewald and Art Rolnick from the Federal Reserve Bank concur: “Investing in early childhood education is more likely to create a vibrant economy that using public funds to build a new stadium or to lure an automaker by providing tax breaks…A cost benefit analysis of quality early childhood programs show returns from $3 to almost $9 for every dollar invested, an extraordinary rate of return of between 7%-16%.”

Florida’s chief business executives also agree. The Florida Council of 100 and the Florida Chamber of Commerce wrote a compelling brief called “Closing the Talent Gap”. They understand that a quality foundation is key to global competitiveness, greater productivity and higher profits. The Council of 100 recommends a “talent supply chain” starting with early childhood to address the current shortage in highly skilled and educated labor”. Florida has a looming crisis in its workforce. Only 76 of every 100 Florida students will graduate from high school; only 51 will attend college and only 32 will earn a B.S. degree within six years. An alarming 20% of current workers are functionally illiterate; 75% of applicants for the military are ineligible due to failure to graduate from high school, a criminal record or physical fitness issues. Heckman warns, “the later in life we attempt to repair early deficits, the costlier the remediation becomes”. National research shows every dollar invested in quality basics in the early childhood years will save $7 in later costs for police, prosecution, prison and remedial education. A recent 35-year study from Harvard University found that no testing or achievement in the years after assessing a child’s readiness to learn in Kindergarten adds to the ability to predict a person’s likelihood to achieve long-term academic and economic success.

Given this compelling economic research endorsed by business leaders, you would think the Florida Legislature would fund programs like “high quality” voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) as “the people” instructed in the constitutional amendment rather than the current poorly funded, low standard program ranked 49th in the nation. The Florida Legislature funds VPK at $1000 less per child than they did 25 years ago , not even counting inflation. Back then, the Florida Legislature understood quality. We had degreed preschool teachers, utilized public school classrooms, provided transportation and showed significant gains. Today, nearly 30% of Florida’s fourth graders don’t achieve grade level on the FCAT. (Some say the number of prison beds needed in the future can be accurately projected by this indicator).

We can all agree that Florida needs to invest our limited resources in programs that most effectively and efficiently result in the greatest public good. We are counting on the Florida Legislature to budget our precious public dollars wisely. Recent polling found that 55% of voters think that Florida is on the wrong track when it comes to children and families and 72% favor investments in young children. Legislators, it’s time to put your votes where our money will yield the biggest dividends – in the healthy development of our youngest children and families.

Mimi Graham, Ed.D. and Peter A. Gorski, M.D., M.P.A.
e. mgconvertible@yahoo.com
e. pgorski@tampabay.rr.com

Mimi is the Director of the Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy.