Sustaining the benefits of early childhood education

Data show that only half of all children in the United States are ready for school when they enter kindergarten, and that learning gains from early childhood programs are often lost as children get older. A new book co-edited by Judy Temple, professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and co-director of the Human Capital Research Collaborative, explores the features of successful early education programs and the ways to sustain their benefits long-term.

The book, "Sustaining Early Childhood Learning Gains: Program, School, and Family Influences", highlights education interventions and practices that promote healthy development in the first decade of a child's life and ways that schools, families, communities, and public institutions can lend support. In this podcast, Temple discusses the features of high-quality education programs and the factors that improve long-term gains including program intensity, teacher experience, class size, curriculum, and parent involvement. Ultimately, she says, the goal is to increase access and implement policies that help sustain and scale these efforts to benefit all children.