At today’s meeting of Connecticut’s P-20 Council forty state and congressional leaders gathered to sign on to a set of guiding principles, known as a Declaration of Cooperation. The principles will guide Connecticut and its educational systems. Read them here.
CEA is a member of the P-20 Council that was created last year to build collaboration across early childhood, K-12, higher education and workforce training. The goal is to increase the number of Connecticut residents who hold a postsecondary degree or other credential.
Watch video excerpts below (3 minutes total) from the meeting.
[wpvideo kJhkHhk7]
Cecilia Rouse, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was the keynote speaker at today’s meeting. She spoke to the education and business leaders about the economic importance of providing a high quality education from pre-kindergarten through higher education.
Citing several studies that tracked children who attended high-quality preschool programs into their adult lives, Rouse said research indicates a positive result from such programs. “High-quality preschool puts kids on the right track. There is a lifetime benefit that shows that preschool not only pays off for children, but it also changes their lives,” she said
Additionally, there are benefits to society as well, including fewer individuals collecting unemployment, better health, more health insurance coverage, and fewer individuals likely to be involved in violent crimes.
Rouse said the studies showed that a high-quality preschool is a good return on investment for children, with an average earned annual income of $42,000 by the time children were in their 40s as compared to the $17,000 the program cost.
There is also a strong economic boost for those who graduate from college when compared to high school dropouts, said Rouse. “Those who have more schooling are less likely to be unemployed during a recession.”
She added that projecting employment about 10 years out also shows the importance of obtaining a quality education. Rouse said jobs that require routine, repetitive skills will likely be replaced with careers that require interactive and critical thinking skills.
“Routine jobs can be replaced by automation,” she said. “Careers of the future will require a high intensity of nonroutine skills. Our economy is headed toward careers that require more analytical skills. These skills will be developed in high-quality preschool programs and carried on through higher education.”
