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 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.¹

The Heckman Equation web site provides short videos and tools that policymakers and advocates can use to communicate effectively about the economic evidence for early investment. As an advocate for infants and toddlers, you can use the resources on this site to make the case for policy solutions that begin at birth.

¹James Heckman, "Learn How Early Childhood Development Affects Society." James Heckman, 2009, http://www.heckmanequation.org/heckman-equation-slideshow.

Download May's Advocacy Developmental Milestone Calendar

May is the time of year for blooming flowers and Mother’s Day. But it’s also the time for SINE DIE in many state legislatures. What is SINE DIE? It refers to the official adjournment of the state legislature—the last day of meetings. Your advocacy challenge this month is to find out when Sine Die is in your state and how infants & toddlers faired in this legislative session. Download the May Advocacy Developmental Milestone Calendar now and take action!

Federal Policy Update

As Congress returned from the April recess, the first order of business was passage of legislation extending unemployment and other benefits that had lapsed. The outlook was cloudier for enacting a budget resolution to lay out a blueprint for federal spending and revenues. The Senate Budget Committee is planning to move ahead, taking up a resolution in the next few weeks. The House is still mulling over whether to attempt to push through a resolution in an election year and will likely make a decision this week. Members of the House Progressive Caucus are pushing for the resolution as a statement of priorities and a stand for an agenda. Appropriations can move forward without a budget resolution using spending levels from last year’s resolution.

Action on other issues important to young children is unfolding in various committees. With the Senate Agriculture Committee having reported out a child nutrition bill last month that falls well short of the President’s goal of $10 billion over 10 years, Committee Chair Blanch Lincoln is committed to finding funds to boost the total. Floor action on the bill does not seem imminent. The House timetable for crafting its own bill is uncertain.

Meanwhile, committees are continuing the reauthorization process for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). ESEA is most relevant to older children, but will include a literacy program that includes children from birth. Title I assistance for disadvantaged children can be used for early childhood programs as well. The Senate HELP Committee has its sights marking up a bill next month with floor action in June. The House hasn’t set a timetable, but Chairman George Miller has said the goal is to complete a bill by the August Congressional recess—an ambitious undertaking.

State Policy Update
Ohio Revamps Statewide Home Visiting Program

Ohio’s Help Me Grow Home Visiting program is a statewide effort to provide expectant or new parents with health and child development information. The Help Me Grow Home Visiting program has been in existence for several years. Following a recent increase in state general revenue funding for this program, a team of stakeholders undertook a revision of key aspects of the program. In an effort to improve both the standardization and the quality of implementation, Ohio is focusing on three areas: strengthening the program model (goals, outcomes, and measures), revising the program policies, and aligning training for all home visitors.

Read the full state policy update now!

Publications & Resources

Home Visiting Campaign in Four States
A $5.6 million campaign to promote smart state investments in evidence-based, voluntary home visiting programs for new and expectant families has been initiated by The Pew Center on the States and its partners. Policymakers and community leaders in Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington have expressed a strong commitment to expanding access and increasing quality of home visitation services in their states and the Pew Home Visiting Campaign will support statewide advocacy and public education in these four states.

State Early Childhood Policy Profiles
Improving the Odds for Young Children at the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) announces the release of their updated Early Childhood Profiles. These state profiles provide a comprehensive view of state policies that affect the health and well-being of the youngest low-income children. The policies are related to health and nutrition, early care and education, and parenting and economic support.

Report on Economic Recovery Funds in States
The National Women’s Law Center’s new report, Supporting State Child Care Efforts with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds provides comprehensive state-by-state information on how economic recovery funds are being used by states for child care and early education. The report shows how these funds are making a difference for children and families by providing greater access to child care assistance and investments in the quality of care.

State and District Eligibility for WIC
The Urban Institute recently released a new interactive report, WIC Income Eligible Children by Congressional District and State. The report shows a breakdown of the number of children in each state and congressional district who are eligible for the WIC program based on income. The report also includes a count of the number of infants and toddlers growing up in low-income families. These data offer members of Congress and their staff an idea of how many children in their districts are potentially affected by the reauthorization of the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).