Much of the scientific research on the connection between early care and cognitive development can be found in From Neurons to Neighborhoods, published by the National Academies Press in 2000.

Higher-quality child care is more expensive than that of lesser quality and can be out of reach for many families. A study of 17 states found that in 11 communities, ten percent or less of the center-based child care slots were affordable for low-income families without a child care subsidy.

Today, sixty-five percent of mothers with children aged five and younger are in the workforce, and nearly two-thirds of America’s children under the age of six are routinely cared for by someone other than a parent. NACCRRA’s Child Care in America Fact Sheet charts the numbers of kids in care, the kinds of care, the costs and more.

This study—perhaps the most well-known of all High/Scope research efforts—examines the lives of 123 African Americans born in poverty and at high risk of failing in school. The study has found that adults at age 40 who attended the quality Perry preschool program had higher earnings, were more likely to hold a job, had committed fewer crimes, and were more likely to have graduated from high school than adults from the same group who did not attend preschool.

This Northwest Finance Circle Toolkit gives child care centers an accounting outline to calculate the true cost of quality budgets. Even if the budget is beyond the reach of what parents can pay, it can be used to demonstrate the gap between the true cost of high quality programs and the actual price parents are charged for services.

Very young children can't tell us what they need. But new scientific research into the developing brain provides strong clues. From Neurons to Neighborhoods, a new report from the National Research Council, says we now have solid information on how to promote healthy development—the next step will be finding the political will to build programs and policies to match. Learn more in this Connect for Kids summary.