James Heckman, a Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics, and an expert in the economics of human development, presents his case for investing in early childhood – the Heckman Equation. The Heckman Equation offers a formula for understanding the great gains to be had by investing in children birth to age 5 or as Heckman says, “investing in the early and equal development of human potential.”

INVEST in educational and developmental resources for disadvantaged families to provide equal access to successful early human development.
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DEVELOP cognitive skills, social skills, and physical well-being in children early – from birth to age five when it matters most.
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SUSTAIN early development with effective education through adulthood.
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GAIN more capable, productive and valuable citizens that pay dividends to America for generations to come.

Much evidence shows that high-quality programs focused on birth to age 5 produce a higher per-dollar return than K-12 schooling and later job training. These programs reduce the need for special education and remediation, and by cutting juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy and high school dropout rates.


» The Case for Investing in Disadvantaged Young Children
by James Heckman