Partnership for America's Economic Success

Partnership for America’s Economic Success: Using the Economic Message to Promote Proven Early Childhood Investments Telluride Economic Summit on Early Childhood Investment September 22 2008 Sara Watson Director, Partnership for America’s Economic Success Senior Officer, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Why should business care?

 Intensifying global competition and steadily growing fiscal imbalances are important American challenges.  20% of workers are functionally illiterate; we need children to become adults who are literate, numerate, job-ready, team-capable.  Many (not all) traits that make good employees, neighbors and citizens begin in the first 5 years of life. Brain reaches 85% of its adult weight in the first 5 years. Bottom line: For best results, start early and keep going.

Why the Partnership for America’s Economic Success?

Partnership for America’s Economic Success was established to provide the kind of evidencebased information America will need to make the best investment decisions – A. Among early childhood (birth-five) programs

B. Among all government spending choices

History of the Partnership: From Start to Success

• Established in 2006 by a collaboration of 12 (now 13) funders, business leaders, economists, early childhood experts. Robert Dugger is Advisory Board Chair. Managed by The Pew Charitable Trusts. • Purpose: (1) Document the economic returns from a range of early childhood investments and (2) Engage business leaders to make children our top economic priority

Partnership Funders • Buffett Early Childhood Fund • Robert Dugger • George Gund Foundation • Horace Hagedorn Foundation • Paul Tudor Jones • John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

• Ohio Children’s Foundation • Peppercorn Foundation • The Pew Charitable Trusts • PNC Financial Services Group • Scholastic, Inc. • Schott Foundation for Public Education • An anonymous donor

Partnership Advisory Board           

 

Robert Dugger, Tudor Investment Corporation, Chair Lynson Beaulieu, Schott Foundation for Public Education Marcia Egbert, George Gund Foundation Deborah Harris, Pal-Tech, Inc. Heidi Hartmann, Institute for Women’s Policy Research Ron Haskins, Brookings Institution James Heckman, University of Chicago Paul Hirschbiel, Eden Capital Stuart Hoffman, PNC Financial Services Group Graciela Italiano Thomas Charles Kolb, Committee for Economic Development Milton Little, United Way of Atlanta Barbara Miller, Ohio Children’s Foundation

    

Roy Miller, Children's Campaign George Overholser, NFF Capital Partners Lynda Parmely, Horace Hagedorn Foundation Dan Pedersen, Buffett Early Childhood Fund Arthur Rolnick, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank  Ada Sanchez, Peppercorn Foundation  Ann Segal, Wellspring Advisors  Ana Sejeck, Early Childhood Initiative Foundation  Jack Shonkoff, Harvard University  Michael Stegman, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation  Eugene Steuerle, Urban Institute  Louise Stoney, Alliance for Early Childhood Finance  Sara Watson, The Pew Charitable Trusts  Michael Weinstein, Robin Hood Foundation

Five Part Research Agenda 1. Microeconomics – Economic gains from specific interventions (13 studies) Health Parenting Housing Early education Parental income Nutrition 2. Macroeconomics – Economic growth, job creation, fiscal sustainability, and global competitiveness implications of proven investments (4) 3. Sector Analysis – Size of the “youth human capital development” sector (1) 4. Finance Policy – Best ways to pay for proven investments commensurate with economic impact (4) 5. Communications – How to communicate findings and inform policy discussion (1)

Groups are picking up on this message

Business Leader Support for Early Childhood  Jim Rohr, CEO of PNC Bank, leading $100 million PNC Grow Up Great  Chamber of Commerce CEOs from Maine to California  George Kaiser, CEO of Kaiser-Francis Oil, major supporter of early care and education in Oklahoma  Ed Basha, CEO of Basha’s Grocery Stores, led fight in Arizona for early childhood ballot initiative  Massachusetts Strategies for Children campaign business leaders: Mara Aspinall, CEO of Genzyme Genetics; Ronald Sargeant, CEO of Staples; Richard Lord, CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts  Leaders of Federal Reserve Banks in Richmond, Cleveland, San Francisco and Atlanta support early investments as economic development  Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke – “high returns that early childhood programs can pay” – 2007 speech to Omaha Chamber of Commerce

Getting the Word Out • Monthly Invest in Kids Discussion Forums – new findings, leaders, messages, campaigns • National Conferences – Annual Telluride Economic Summit for business leaders, Annual National Conference for diverse audiences • Other venues and conferences to disseminate findings Partnership for Wisconsin’s Economic Success * Georgia Partnership for Educational Excellence * Milken Global Conference, Santa Monica * U. of Miami Forum on Costs of Inadequate Education * American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference * United Way of Greater Topeka * Pre-K Count’s Executive Leadership Council, Harrisburg PA

Partners – who else and who’s next?

• Collaborating with business networks, leaders: America’s Edge Committee for Economic Development Corporate Voices for Working Families Hope Street Group Institute for Competitive Workforce (an affiliate of U.S. Chamber of Commerce) Kiwanis

• What’s next to reach business leaders? You

help us decide. Sign up for updates at www.PartnershipforSuccess.org