The seeds of academic success are planted well before a child enters kindergarten: a child's brain reaches 80% of adult size by age three and 90% by age five. A child's earliest experiences are responsible for wiring the brain for future use, thereby building its basic architecture. Without the opportunity to receive structured developmental supports, children are more likely to not graduate from high school, receive welfare benefits, and commit crimes. Long-term educational achievement is uniformly linked to participation in high quality early care and education (ECE). Sadly, less than half of Colorado's children participate in structured ECE programs and Colorado ranks 44th in national ECE quality standards and oversight.
Colorado takes pride in being a state with a high percentage of college graduates in the workforce, yet for the first time in history, high school and college graduation rates are declining in the U.S. and rising worldwide. We are confident this unprecedented trend can be reversed by changing our educational investment priorities, and establishing a coordinated and systematic approach to early learning. We believe all children have the right to develop strong learning foundations through universal access to high quality ECE programs. Early Learning Ventures is a bold approach to creating sustainable change in the ECE sector.