NGA Works with 6 States to Advance Prenatal to Age 3 Policies

Investing in early education yields benefits over the long term

The National Governors Association today announced that six states — Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Missouri — will receive grants and support to develop and implement policies to integrate and advance prenatal to age 3 education.

Research has shown that children’s experiences prior to age 3 provide the foundation for life-long learning. Providing children with high-quality, comprehensive services improves their lives and leads to a significant return on investment in the form of reduced crime, reduced costs for social services, and decreased costs for remedial education. Governors from across the country have recognized these educational and economic dividends of investing in high-quality experiences in the early years.

NGA Education will provide technical assistance and grant support for developing policy agendas to these states and assist them in developing and carrying out action plans focused on one or more specific state policy priorities that serve children and their families from before birth to age 3.

This project is supported by grants from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, a project of the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, with additional funding from the Alliance for Early Success, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

To learn more about NGA Education, click here.