In the past thirty seconds, three more children were born in the United States. Of these three, only two are likely to graduate from high school. Millions of children in the U.S. face lives of lost potential without access to quality prenatal care, healthy and supportive environments, and opportunities to learn. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Thanks to our partnership with The Annie E. Casey Foundation, our team has updated our Invest in a Strong Start for Children online toolkit for donors interested in the early childhood space. The new version of the toolkit includes:
- Updated strategies for funders interested in investing in the early childhood space
- Additional profiles of proven and promising programs, analyzed for their social impact and cost effectiveness
- An expanded return-on-investment primer that outlines the economic return of early childhood investments
- Funder briefs that provide background information and resources on topics such as how funders can leverage public dollars in early childhood, two generation approaches to ensuring a strong start for children, and protecting young children from exposure to harmful chemicals (see more below)
- Linked blog interviews on various topics with experts on early childhood
In partnership with the Forysythia Foundation, we developed new content on strategies for preventing and reducing exposure to harmful chemicals in the built, consumer, and natural environment. This new funder brief focuses on the harmful effects of three of the most well studied and pervasive chemicals/elements – lead, methylmercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs – all of which have been linked to adverse childhood neurological and behavioral outcomes, such as intellectual disabilities and conduct disorders. Most importantly, it provides resources and examples for ways funders can help.
You will find all this and more on our newly redesigned website: www.impact.upenn.edu
As always, our hope is that our work will give funders the confidence to invest well — and to invest now.