We have long recognized that early childhood presents us with a unique problem. Far too many low-income children will enter school months, if not years, behind their more affluent peers. Therefore, the need is great for highly effective early childhood programs that can help change these children’s fates.

ABOUT THE STUDY

The Early Childhood Research Initiative strives to generate the kind of evidence about early childhood programs that is now sorely lacking. Through this initiative, we are tracking the children affected by those programs long enough (to third grade, and beyond) to be able to determine the initiative’s long-term effectiveness. We created the Early Childhood Research Initiative in partnership with MDRC, the nationally respected social policy organization, and with lead funding provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Overdeck Family Foundation, and the Salomon Family Foundation.