In addition, the initiative opened Head Start centers around the country to DonorsChoose.org’s crowdfunding platform. The new resource will assist teachers who educate some of the most vulnerable students in our community.
Our youngest students are more likely to do well when they have access to quality materials. Recent research co-authored by Nobel laureate James Heckman shows that investing in quality early childhood programs can deliver a 13 percent per year return on investment — a net, long-term advantage of more than $700,000 for every disadvantaged child served. That benefit comes via reduced need for special education and grade repetition, higher wages, increased high school graduation rates and even reduced crime.