To Secure Public Support for Early Childhood Investments, Connect the Dots with K-12

We know that an aligned PK-3 approach is right in terms of policy–it’s the best strategy to fight fade-out and maximize the long-term positive impact of early education investments, and it’s how policymakers should be thinking as they design new state investments in early learning systems.

But polling data suggests that talking about early education in a way that links early childhood investments with K-12 schooling is also smart politics for early childhood advocates. Take a look at this presentation of public opinion data that pollster Christopher Blunt presented last week to the Invest in Kids Working Group. The data shows that the public has clearly gotten the message that children’s early development is important. But, as Image 1 shows, when it comes to setting priorities for government action, voters place a much greater priority on improving K-12 education than in improving early childcare for 0-3’s. Further, despite their belief in the importance of the 0-3 years for development, Image 2 shows voters think that public investments in improving children’s learning will have the greatest impact if they focus on the elementary school years. Blunt also notes that voters fear new early childhood investments might compete for funding with K-12, undermining public education. [slideshow]

What does this mean for early education advocates? It means early childhood investments are most likely to gain political support if they’re closely linked to K-12 issues voters care about. Pollster Celinda Lake notes that preparing children to succeed in school is one of the most powerful messages early childhood advocates have. But Blunt’s data suggests the message needs to go further, casting pre-k and other early education investments not just as “preparation” for elementary school, but as an integral component of an aligned system of high-quality early education–wrapping pre-k with broader elementary education and other reforms in a package that comprehensively addresses voters’ concerns about K-12 schooling.

A PK-3 approach offers the language and tools to do this, as well as a “hook” for more actively engaging K-12 school reformers as vital political allies in an early education movement. Many advocates for young children come from a child care or human services background and are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the language and priorities of K-12 reformers. But data like this shows that getting beyond this divide and forming a K-12 reform/early childhood alliance around a shared early education refrom message is essential to building and sustaining public support for real, effective investments in young children’s learning.