Early Childhood and Economic Development in Wisconsin

2008 Wisconsin Summit for Community Leadership Teams was held on April 28, 2008 in Madison.

The event provided a forum to continue the engagement and mobilization of community leadership teams around the importance of early childhood investments in economic development building off the success of previous events including last year's summit in Madison and regional events in Milwaukee (2006) and Green Bay (2007).

Over 100 participants heard from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the national Partnership for America’s Economic Success, the newly-formed Wisconsin Partnership for Economic Success, and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (based at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University).

Conference presentations and video footage of the event will soon be available on this website. 

The Green Bay Regional Economic Development Summit for business and community leaders modeled after the September, 2006 Milwaukee Southeast Wisconsin Economic Development Summit was held on November 30, 2007. David Lawrence, former publisher of the Miami Herald and children's champion provided a compelling keynote challenging the more than 300 participants to start a movement for early childhood in Wisconsin calling investing in quality early care and education essential for our country's economic future. More than 60 business leaders, elected officials, philanthropists and United Way educators and community leaders participated. The event has generated sustained media attention. Below are links to conference materials:

• Forward with our Children: Investing Early in Our Future Workforce Agenda
   
• Conference summary and video footage of the event on the Committee for Economic Development's website.
   
• Conference Presentations - Nan Brien power-point presentation on early childhood brain development (PDF Version also available); Dennis Winter's presentation on why early learning is a smart economic investment (PDF version also available). 
  

Past Events:

Significant events over the last few years have highlighted the important connection between early childhood and economic development.

The Wisconsin Summit for community leadership teams was held on April 23, 2007 in Madison, Wisconsin and co-sponsored by The Committee for Economic Development and United Way of Wisconsin and featured:

• Mike Petro, Committee for Economic Development who highlighted how CED is building momentum among national business leaders around the short and long term benefits of investing in quality early learning experiences and briefly touched on the national research and key partners working together to build the case for early childhood investments.
   
• Mike Burke, Buffett Early Childhood Fund pointed out that "it is too expensive not to invest in high quality early education".
   
• Steven Barnett Ph.D., Director, National Institute For Early Education Research, presented key national research over the last several decades irrefutably tying investments in high quality early education with substantial returns, unparalleled in the private market.
   
• David Lawrence, Retired Publisher of Miami Herald, University of Florida: Alumni of Distinction, encouraged WI "to dare mighty things (quoting President Teddy Roosevelt), and build a real movement for early education, and real investment toward a genuinely educated, competitive, high-skilled and creative community".
   
• Mark Scally, MN Business for Early Learning, offered concrete advice to business leaders about how this is a hiring issue. He highlighted why business leaders should be involved in early learning and what business people can do to help with early learning at the conference.
   
• Elliot Regenstein, Illinois Early Learning Coalition, highlighted the importance of business leaders being strong advocates for early childhood education and working with early childhood advocates to ensure the message is heard.

Fifteen community teams participated and generated ideas for engaging their communities. Highlights of the team's ideas were captured in a written roundtable summary document. The Capitol Times met with David Lawrence and published and editorial that supported the connection between early childhood and economic development and advocated investing more resources in quality early education and applauded David Lawrence's effort to lead a mission to educate others about the key importance of the early years. 

In the words of a summit participant - "I'm thrilled that this step was taken. Wisconsin needs to move on this issue. Hopefully the communities present at the summit will lead the way. Thank you!"

The Committee for Economic Development recently held it's third annual conference "Building the Economic Case for Investments in Children" that featured national leaders from the Pew Charitable Trust", CEO, George Kaiser, President and CEO of Kaiser-Francis Oil, other business leaders and the Executive Director of the United Way of America to discuss engaging and activating state and local business leaders around this issue, the latest research (Building the Case) and how to get involved in the Partnership for America's Economic Success Partnership for America's Economic Success

Last fall, CED also hosted the Milwaukee Economic Development Summit for Southeastern Wisconsin (2006 event) featuring key national, state and Milwaukee leaders to discuss how to engage Milwaukee's local business and community leadership around this topic. Press coverage of the event included support from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for paying more attention early childhood education as a means of securing a stronger economic future for the region.

Wisconsin has also hosted two previous statewide conferences Strongest Link 2005 and 2006, focused on the connection between early childhood and economic development.

• In 2006 noted economist Richard Florida made the case for investing early to ensure our competitiveness in a world economy. The 2006 Conference also featured another prominent economist, Mildred Warner, Director of the Child Care and Economic Development Project, Cornell University and retired DWD Chief Labor Economist, Terry Ludeman.
• In 2005, Robert Dugger, President of Tudor Investment Company, CED Trustee, and founder of CED, Invest in Kids Working Group, President, discussed that national and international importance of quality early learning experiences for children. "A nation that puts kids first thinks long-term. It has surer moral footing, less crime, stronger economic growth, a healthier environment and a greater ability to lead others by example."
  Robert Dugger's Speech
• He was joined by Federal Reserve Economist Rob Grunewald who highlighted the very high return on investment of an investment in early childhood education.

In Wisconsin, we must follow his advice and lead by example.

The 2003 Governor's Economic Development Summit for Wisconsin featured a white paper developed about why economic development experts need to pay attention to supporting quality early childhood opportunities for our youngest citizens. Read that paper - Early Childhood Education and Care Challenges Facing Wisconsin.