More than 90% of brain development occurs by age five and $1 invested in early childhood yields a $4-$16 ROI.
Access to reliable childcare is critical for working parents (I personally can attest to this as a full-time working parent with two kids under 5!). 69% of children under the age of 6 in Guilford County live in a household where the sole parent or both parents in the household work, while only 31% are enrolled in care.
Given how clear the ROI is to invest in early childhood development, it is a travesty how little we as a society support its educators. The median hourly wage for an early educator is only $13.50, and almost half of early educators reported public assistance usage.
We must do more to both increase seats in accredited childcare programs AND better support early childhood staff.
Note: All early childhood stats are from Guilford County Partnership for Children.
Touring His Glory Child Development Center.
