An open letter from 102
early learning academics urging lawmakers to take action
As Massachusetts legislators consider the state budget and investments in early education, we would like to highlight the widespread agreement among experts and researchers in the field about the effectiveness of such investments.
As evidenced by a wide body of research across many disciplines, quality early education programs produce better education, health, economic and social outcomes for children, families and the community. Specifically, research indicates:
Quality early childhood education can reduce the achievement gap. Too many American children start school inadequately prepared to succeed. The costs of these gaps, such as increased need for special education and grade retention, are very high to individuals and our state. Children who attended preschool show reductions in social dependency, poor health, and lost productivity.
Access to quality early childhood education is essential. The early learning programs and child care that many parents can afford are not of good enough quality to appreciably affect early disparities in development. Inequities in access to high-quality early education may actually make these disparities worse.
Quality programs produce quality life outcomes. Early childhood programs produce larger long-term impacts on life achievement than on IQ and achievement tests. Evidence from long-term evaluations of both small-scale, intensive interventions and Head Start find long-term effects on important societal outcomes such as high-school graduation, years of education completed, earnings, and reduced crime and teen pregnancy, even if test-score effects fade.
Quality early childhood education delivered through a mixed-provider system benefits children from diverse family backgrounds and circumstances. Quality early learning can benefit middle-class children as well as disadvantaged children; typically developing children as well as children with special needs; and dual language learners as well as monolingual English speakers. Although early research focused primarily on programs for low-income children, more recent research indicates that middle-class children can benefit substantially and that benefits outweigh costs for children from middle-income as well as for those from low-income families.
Investing in quality early childhood education pays off. Rigorous cost-benefit analyses show that the economic benefits of early childhood education outweigh the costs of providing access to quality programs.
Critics of greater investment ignore the full body of evidence. Critics often cite data out of context, cherry-picking results that found minimal effects within the larger set of findings of significant overall benefits. Existing research findings are sufficient to warrant substantially greater investments in quality programs now.
There are a number of pressing problems that undermine early education in Massachusetts. We know that our largest subsidy programs – principally the state administration of federal Child Care and Development Block Grant – do not reach many families and that underfunding results in an unstable early care and education system. The return on investment for making the necessary investments to provide affordable, high quality programs is substantial.
Massachusetts prides itself on education, but are behind when it comes to early education. Massachusetts ranks 29th in state preschool spending per child, and has seen early education and care programs funding shrink significantly over the past decade relative to inflation.
As identified by the Massachusetts Board of Early Education & Care, the rates at which we reimburse our early care and education providers are far too low, and result in high turnover in the field. The Board recommends a $36.4 Million rate reserve in your FY18 budget to begin to address this workforce crisis.
We also urge you to consider further investments that would help lower the cost for families struggling to access high-quality care while also improving the quality of programs. Such investments are warranted by the research.
Massachusetts Early Childhood Researchers and Professors
Nina Aronoff, Associate Professor of Social Work
Polly Attwood, Associate Teaching Professor, Northeastern University, Teacher Education Programs
Kim Audette, Greenfield Community College, Preschool Enrichment Team, Academic and career Development Specialist
Cynthia Ballenger, Director, Early Childhood Teacher Preparation, Tufts University
William Beardslee, M.D., Director, Baer Prevention Initiatives, Boston Children's Hospital & Distinguished Gardner/Monks Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Barbara Beatty, Wellesley College, Professor of Education
Katherine Begin, Curry College Professor
Eliza Bobek, University of Massachusetts Lowell
J.Michael Bodi, Professor and Chairperson
Nathaniel Brown, Associate Research Professor, Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment, Lynch School of Education, Boston College
Kemoh Salia-Bao, Cambridge college
Deirdre Budzyna, Professor of Early Childhood Education
J Camille Cammack, Senior Lecturer, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Dale Carberry, Senior Lecturer/Special Education
Beth Casey, Professor Emeritus,Boston College Lynch School of Education
Rebekah Levine Coley, Professor, Boston College
Stephanie Curenton-Jolly, Boston University Associate Professor
Lisa D'Souza, Chairperson Education Department Assumption College
Nermeen Dashoush, Professor of ECE at BU
Danette Day, Assistant Professor
Eric Dearing, Professor, Boston College
Kaitlin DeBellis, Exec. Director, Author, Adjunct
Tom Del Prete, Clark University (Director, Adam Institute for Urban Teaching)
Eric DeMeulenaere, Associate Professor of Education
Chris Denning, Associate Professor; University of Massachusetts-Boston
Julie Dobrow, Tufts University, Senior Lecturer
Holly Dolan, Associate Professor of Practice/Clark University
Catherine Donahue, Wheelock College, Associate Professor
Anne Douglass, University of Massachusetts Boston, Professor of Early Childhood Education
Eleanor Duckworth, Professor Emerita, Harvard University
Julie Dwyer, Boston University, Assistant Professor
Darrell Earnest, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Assistant Professor
Ann Easterbrooks, Professor, Eliot-Pearson Dept. of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
David Henry Feldman, Professor and Chair, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Sasha Fleary, Tufts University
Ellen Frechette, Early Childhood Professional Development Specialist
Dr. Ellie Friedland, Associate Professor & Department Co-Chair, Early Childhood Education, Wheelock College
Kathryn Gallo, North Shore Community College - Director, Region 3 EPS Grant
Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Elizabeth A. Gilbert, Ed.D., University of Massachustts, Amherst Director of LMWE Early Childhood Educator Program
Eve Gilmore, Executive Director Edward Street Child Services
Lisa Gonsalves, University of Massachusetts/Boston; Chair, Curriculum & Instruction Department
Stephanie Gottwald, Tufts University, Center for Reading and Language Research, Director
Margaret Hannah, Executive Director William James College Freedman Center for Child and Family Development
Francine Jacobs, Associate Professor, Tufts University
Bruce K Johnson, Tufts Elliot Pearson ECE
Julie Karaganis,Board of Directors, President, Harborlihht Nursery School
Carla Keith, Stonehill College Adjunct Professor
Janna Kellinger, Associate Professor, UMass Boston
Josephine Kim, Faculty
Nancy Knight, Quinsigamond Children's School, Director
Lisa Kuh, Director of Early Education, Somerville Public Schools, Lesley University Adjunct
Denise LaFrance, Fitchburg State University, Assistant Professor
Karen Langlais, Adjunct Professor of Education
Mary Beth Lawton, Lesley University; Education Division Director
Tama Leventhal, Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Robert LeVine, HGSE, professor emeritus
John Lippitt, Adjunct Faculty Tufts Univ., Brandeis Univ., University of Massachusetts Boston
Kimberly Lucas, Brandeis University
Arthur MacEwan, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts Boston
Karen Mahoney, Quinsigamond Community College Adjunct Faculty
Charlene Mara, Quinsigamond Community College, Faculty Coordinator
Ben Mardell, Lesley Graduate School of Education, Professor
Peggy Martalock, Greenfield Community College, Education Faculty & Program Coordinator
Kathleen McCartney, President, Smith College
Joanne McDonnell, Anna Maria College, Director of Education Programs
Dr. Sandra McElroy, Pine Manor College
Janet McKeon, Associate Director, Quinsigamond Community College Children's School
Kathleen McNamara, Stonehill College
Patrick McQuillan, Associate Professor, Lynch School of Education, Boston College
Christine McWayne, Tufts University, Director of Early Childhood Education
Sarah Michaels, Professor of Education
Jayanthi Mistry, Associate Professor, Tufts University
Nancy Murray, Chair: Education, Fitchburg State University
Linda Nathan, Professor of Education
Greg Nelson, Professor of ECE, Bridgewater State University
Greg Nelson, Professor of ECE, Bridgewater State University
Xiaoxia Newton, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Associate Professor
Arielle Orenstein, Graduate Teaching Assistant
Ellen Pinderhughes, Professor, Tufts University
Lisa Plotkin, Assistant Director
Martha Pott, Tufts University, Senior Lecturer
Paul Reville Francis Keppel, Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration Founding Director, Education Redesign Lab Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Dorothy Richardson, President, Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health: Birth to Six, Inc.
Claudia Rinaldi, Lasell College Faculty
Meredith Rowe, Associate Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Renee Ruggiero, Wheelock College
George Scarlett, Sr. Lecturer/Tufts University
Melanie Shipon, Adjunct Instructor NECC
Jack Shonkoff, Harvard University
Linda Small, Curry College Field Placement Supervisor
Catherine Snow, Patricia Albjerg Graham Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Cindy Spelman, Greenfield Community College
Joanne Szamreta, professor, Lesley University
Amanda Tarullo, Boston University, Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Jonathan Tirrell, Ph.D., Tufts University
Terrence Tivnan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Ed Tronick, UMassBoston, University Distinguished Professor
Kathleen Vranos, Greenfield Community College, Dean, Business & Information Technology, Professional Studies, & Social Science
Ernest Washington, Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Maryanne Wolf, Tufts University, John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service
Diane E. Levin, Ph.D. Professor of Early Childhood Education, Wheelock College
Early Education Professionals
Charlene Zimkiewicz, Kindergarten teacher
Cindy Spelman, Teacher
Dawn Cunningham, Teacher
Debbie Jaslowich, PreK Teacher
Debbie Young, EAW/MTA
DianeSmith, Kindergarten Teacher
Donna Fils-Aime, Teacher
Ed Madaus, Guild of St. Agnes
Eve Gilmore, Executive Director Edward Street Child Services
Georgia O'Keefe, PreK teacher
Heather Bousquet, Proud Public School Preschool Teacher
Jillian McMahon, Teacher
Jo AnneRose, Public preschool special ed teacher
Julie Karaganis, Board of Directors, President, Harbor Light Nursery School
Justin Newton, Teacher
Kathleen Belliveau, Kindergarten Teacher Worcester Public Schools
Kathy Ranaghan, Kindergarten teacher
Laurie Kuczka, Head Start and Early Childhood Director
Leah Newton, Teacher
Leslie Etedge, Preschool teacher WPS
Leo Delaney, CEO Ellis Memorial
Liz Marcantonio, Worcester Public Schools/teacher
Marie Rocheleau-Demers, Preschool at Worcester Tech
Mary Mara, Worcester Public Schools Preschool Teacher
Maureen Lawson, Teacher Worcester Public Schools
Meaghan Butman, Kindergarten Teacher
Meaghan Butman, Kindergarten Teacher
Michael OConnell, Preschool Teacher
Nancy Knight, Quinsigamond Children's School, Director
Nora Sullivan, Somerville Public Schools, Special Education Preschool Teacher
Pamela Brezniak, Teacher
Stacey Chiodetti, Worcester Public / Preschool, Special Education Teacher
Teddy Kokoros , Preschool Teacher