Chapter 2: A Brief Review of the Evidence

Early development takes place in the context of families and communities and is shaped by the day-to-day experiences and environments of early life. The steady drip of daily life establishes pathways for lifelong learning, behaviour and health that are inextricably linked to the development of the whole child.

Early Learning for Every Child Today⁵

Ontario’s 1999 Early Years Study⁶ popularized the science of early childhood development and recommended that public policy capitalize on this critical life stage by offering quality programs to all young children and their families.

Since then, projects such as Toronto First Duty, Schools Plus in Saskatchewan, Community Schools in South Australia, and Children’s Centres in Victoria (Australia) and the United Kingdom have used this vision to consolidate and expand existing children’s programming into hubs for child and family services. Their documented innovations provide valuable learning for others and are motivating experimentation with new models of program delivery elsewhere.

The intervening 10 years have seen an explosive growth in the science of early development. New research shows us that the biological pathways developed in early childhood influence health, well-being, learning, and behaviour across the life course. The science strongly indicates that if managed properly, a public policy commitment to improving children’s development will have transformative social and economic effects.

Getting there requires smart decisions about program and system design and public investments in early childhood comparable to those allocated for elementary and secondary education.

The Canadian Council on Learning agrees: “Research indicates that the experiences during the first five years of a child’s life have a major bearing on his or her future success in school, in the workplace, and many other aspects of a healthy, fulfilling life.”⁷

Nobel laureate economist James Heckman observes that big gaps in children’s learning are present at age 5 and has shown,with depressing accuracy, how they predict who will complete high school and post-secondary education and who will not. He points to other early markers,including motivational levels, emotional stability, self-control, and sociability, that persist across generations. A recently released U.S. study by McKinsey and Company provides evidence that these kinds of achievement gaps are“the equivalent of a permanent national recession.”⁸

Investment in early learning is crucial to the quality of our labour force today and tomorrow. Early learning is the most cost-effective path to making our education system more productive.

Len Crispino, Ontario Chamber of Commerce,2009

Early learning opportunities that complement the learning environment at home do make a difference. The benefits resonate with the economic and fiscal health of a jurisdiction. They also resonate in the health, safety, and vitality of neighbourhoods by creating “welcome centres” for all young children and families, helping to reduce the isolation and exclusion too often experienced by disadvantaged communities.

For policy makers worried about demographic stability and associated economic issues, wide access to quality early childhood programs is associated with rising birth rates and reduced population mobility.

Canada: % Vulnerable by
Socio-economic Status⁹

Low SES	31.9%
Moderate SES	29.1%
Middle SES	23.1%
High SES	13.7%

Vulnerable children are not limited to low-income families since many "vulnerabilities" are not income sensitive. Analyses show that the majority of vulnerable children – more than 60 per cent – live in moderate, middle class and affluent families.

Social harmony, high quality schools supported by effective learning opportunities for our youngest, and quality public services, support economic stability.

Toronto Board of Trade, 2009

Many studies¹⁰ have documented the racialization and feminization of child and family poverty, concluding that children living in poverty are:

more likely to be low birth weight babies and have weight-related diabetes and poor nutrition;
2.5 times more likely to have a disability;
more likely to have learning, behavioural, and emotional problems;
exposed to higher rates of abuse and violence;
less likely to be supported by extended health plans;
less likely to have access to preschool, cultural, recreational, and after-school programs.

Early childhood programs that help compensate children for difficult home and community environments, at the same time as they support parents to work or upgrade their job skills, are highly effective at reducing the rate and depth of family poverty.

Canadian researchers have also demonstrated that while effective early learning programs are very crucial for some, they benefit all. Vulnerable children are not limited to low-income families since many“vulnerabilities” are not income sensitive. Their analyses show that the majority of vulnerable children – more than 60 per cent– live in moderate, middle-class and affluent families.¹¹

While poverty is associated with risks for young children, policies targeted solely to disadvantaged communities actually miss the majority of vulnerable children. A universal approach to program provision,in which dedicated poverty reduction initiatives are embedded, has been found to magnify the social, economic, and academic benefits.

Two Perspectives: Same Advice

Two recent major reviews of very different topics cited investment in early childhood as a vital driver of economic and social progress. Ontario in the Creative Age, by Roger Martin and Richard Florida, advised: “Make early childhood development a high priority. This is the highest payoff investment we can make in our long-run prosperity.”¹²

The Roots of Youth Violence report, by Roy McMurtry and Alvin Curling, noted: “Given the relationship between undiagnosed literacy problems and behavioural problems later in life, including incarceration in many cases, effective early learning programs can play an enormous identification and prevention role.”¹³

Research evidence documents the economic benefits from public spending on quality early childhood programs:

University of Toronto economists showed a 2:1 payback on public funding for developmentally enriched child care created from the increased taxes paid by working parents, coupled with reduced social service and compensatory education costs.¹⁴
Over 40 per cent of the public cost of Quebec’s early childhood program is covered by the tax revenues from mothers who otherwise would not be working if low-cost child care was not available.¹⁵
A Manitoba study reveals that spending on early childhood programs has an economic multiplier effect on local economies, generating up to $1.7 dollars for every $1 spent.¹⁶
The Ypsilanti, Michigan, study has spent 40 years tracking the cost-benefits of a preschool and family intervention program on a group of inner city minority children. It calculates $17 in health, justice, and social welfare savings for every $1 spent on the program.¹⁸
Heckman calculates a 7:1 return on public investment for programs for young children compared to a 1:1 payback from adult education.¹⁹

A major source of the human capital benefits comes from the link between children’s participation in quality early years programs and future educational attainment. A Rutgers University study found that prolonged and regular full-day preschool attendance significantly increased children’s verbal and mathematics test scores in Grade 1 and beyond.²⁰

Results from Canadian studies concur with U.S.research: full-day preschool programs promote children’s successful transition to formal schooling.²¹ Children attending full-day programs had better academic performance and social success as they entered Grade 1 than children who attended half-day programs.

There is a growing body of evidence that some of the greatest returns on taxpayers’ investments are those targeted to Canada’s youngest citizens. Every dollar spent in ensuring a healthy start in the early years will reduce the long-term social costs associated with health care, addictions, crime, unemployment and welfare. As well, it will ensure Canadian children become better educated, well adjusted and more productive adults.

Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer²²

The imperative for action is grounded in the evidence cited above. The recommendations in this report are guided by research documenting the elements for success in early learning programs within a comprehensive child and family framework.

No matter how you look at it, the focused strategic investment in the early years that I am recommending pays huge dividends for the success and well-being of individuals and our society. Simply put, there is no wiser investment for our best future.

Letter of Transmittal

Chapter 1: An Early Years Vision for Ontario

Chapter 2: A Brief Review of the Evidence

Chapter 3: Full-Day Learning: Leaving the Patchwork Behind

Chapter 4: Funding Our Best Future

Chapter 5: From Words to Action

Acknowledging the "We" of Authorship

Recommendations

Footnotes

5 Best Start Expert Panel on Early Learning. (2007). Early Learning for Every Child Today: Framework for Ontario Early Childhood Settings. Toronto, ON:Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. p. 7.

Chapter 2: A Brief Review of the Evidence

Canada: % Vulnerable by Socio-economic Status9

Two Perspectives: Same Advice

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Canada: % Vulnerable by
Socio-economic Status⁹