By Garrison Kurtz, President, Dovetailing
In the past several years, funders of education, health, and community development have begun to take notice of early childhood development as a smart investment opportunity. In fact, there is a boom in interest in “social impact bonds” that allow investment in high-quality preschools as a way to reduce the need for (and monetize the cost-savings of) special education services.
The federal government is also increasing investment in smart strategies to fund home visiting programs, replicate the success of the Harlem Children’s Zone through the creation of “Promise Neighborhoods,” and link early childhood development Race to the Top efforts to K-12 improvement initiatives. All of this new opportunity is creating great possibilities for private funders to leverage their own investments and take things to scale.
The big question is whether we’ll step up to this historic opportunity and use our influence to solidify this new realization that we’re missing the boat on education and health if we do not start early.
Consider these questions:
- Are your education investments encouraging a P-3 (preschool to third grade) alignment of curriculum?
- Are your health investments getting children and families started off on the right track by including home visiting elements?
Many ASF members got new ideas during a recent ASF webinar on early childhood development and are signing up for two more webinars focused on finding one’s fit in the many opportunities to move the field forward. The next two webinars will be held on May 22 and June 5. Please join us for one or both programs.
Having served in executive management positions in the private, public, and philanthropic sectors, Garrison Kurtz uses provocative questioning and synthesis to help businesses, foundations, and other nonprofits advance their efforts. While overseeing preschool programs, later creating two public charities, and now as a consultant at Dovetailing, Garrison has helped partners across the human services and education fields target their efforts strategically and leverage all of their resources.
Note: Free discussion guides on early childhood development are available from ASF, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Search “Casey” in the online store.
