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Key Findings

1. A sizeable share of young children in New Hampshire (ages 0 to 5) face risks in early childhood that may compromise healthy development, with consequences for their success in school and beyond.
2. Current public investments in low-income or otherwise disadvantaged young children and their families are primarily supported with federal monies but are not funded to reach all those who are eligible.
3. Rigorous evidence documents the short- and longer-term benefits from early childhood programs, including well-designed home visiting programs from before birth through the first few years of life and high-quality preschool programs.
4. Implementation of a proven nurse home visiting program in New Hampshire for low-income first-time mothers is estimated to return $4 to $6 for every dollar invested.
5. A state-funded one-year voluntary preschool program for children in families with income up to three times the federal poverty level would produce a return of $2 for every dollar invested and nearly $4 for every dollar of cost if the program targets children living in families in poverty.

With the growing understanding of the importance of the first five years for child health and development and the consequences for children who face various early-life stressors, states have been expanding their investments in early childhood programs, particularly those targeted toward at-risk children. Such investments have been demonstrated to benefit children and their families in the short run (as children are better prepared to enter school) and in the longer term (as children perform better academically, increase their educational attainment, experience better labor market outcomes, and require fewer social services). Policymakers and the public view such programs as an important economic development strategy that boosts the human capital, and therefore the productivity, of the future workforce.