Voters Want Early Childhood Investments

Policymakers need to look no further than early childhood investments to find an issue that unites voters from all political backgrounds.

That’s the key finding from a poll released today by the bipartisan polling team of Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research Associates. The poll was commissioned by the First Five Years Fund.

Voters (85%) say making sure that children get a strong start in life is a top national priority, second only to increasing jobs and economic growth (89%) and above reducing the tax burden on families (63%) and securing our borders (57%).

Voters not only support early child development, they want greater investment in it – 71% of voters support greater federal investments in early childhood education. (60% of Republicans, 68% of Independents and 84% of Democrats)

And they are willing to increase the deficit in the short-term – 71% agreed that it would be acceptable to spend funds “if it increased the deficit in the short-term, but paid for itself in the long-term by improving children’s education, health and economic situations, so that less spending will be needed in those areas.”

“Early childhood education is one of those rare issues that transcend partisanship. There is a durable consensus of support for early learning, by governors and mayors, as well as law enforcement officials and business leaders, because it has an impact on the communities where these investments are made,” said Kevin Madden, Senior Advisor to Gov. Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and Executive Vice President for Public Affairs at JDA Frontline.

In North Carolina, we’ve seen this support firsthand.  More than 100 law enforcement, faith, business and community leaders are serving as First 2,000 Days Champions, presenting information about the importance of early child development and its impact on the greater community to their networks.

So spread the word! Share the infographics on your Facebook Page and in your Twitter Posts.  Share the materials with your networks. Click here to access the toolkit.

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