Making an economic case for the benefits of early childhood development interventions, particularly for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, Heckman’s book will make for interesting reading for policy worker and professional working with younger pupils.
Giving kids a fair chance
Synopsis
Heckman’s groundbreaking work found that quality early childhood development heavily influenced individual’s health, economic and social outcomes, as well as great economic and social gains to be had.
His analysis demonstrated that every dollar invested in quality early childhood education for disadvantaged children resulted in a 7-10% return on investment, per child per year, through increased productivity and the reduced need for social spending.
Heckman calls for a refocus of social policy toward early childhood interventions, addressing in equal parts both cognitive abilities and non-cognitive skills such as as confidence and perseverance, which he believes have been neglected for too long.