Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality

Synopsis

Early Care And Education For Many Children In The United States Is In Crisis. The Period Between Birth And Kindergarten Is A Critical Time For Child Development, And Socioeconomic Disparities That Begin Early In Children’s Lives Contribute To Starkly Different Long-term Outcomes For Adults. Yet, Compared To Other Advanced Economies, High-quality Child Care And Preschool In The United States Are Scarce And Prohibitively Expensive For Many Middle-class And Most Disadvantaged Families. To What Extent Can Early-life Interventions Provide These Children With The Opportunities That Their Affluent Peers Enjoy And Contribute To Reduced Social Inequality In The Long Term? Cradle To Kindergarten Offers A Comprehensive, Evidence-based Strategy That Diagnoses The Obstacles To Accessible Early Education And Charts A Path To Opportunity For All Children. -- Introduction -- Paid Leave -- Affordable, High-quality Care And Education -- Universal Preschool -- A New Head Start -- Conclusion: No More Tinkering At The Edges. Ajay Chaudry, Taryn Morrissey, Christina Weiland, And Hirokazu Yoshikawa. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.