Great by Eight

How to really make America great-and keep us there.

Just how important is early childhood development? Put simply, it's vital-and as a country we are nonchalant about it at our own peril.

A focus on facilitating low-stress/high-engagement environments at the earliest ages has been shown to build strong, confident learners, who later, as successful adults, make up the backbone of a successful society. But due to America's failure to make early childhood development one of our highest priorities, our nation has shown a steady decline in numerous important areas relative to other countries.

Great by Eight is a bold call to action for America-for all of us-to immediately demand intense emphasis on the development of young children, in particular from birth to age three, and continuing through age eight. By investing in early childhood development now, and over the long-term, we can become a far stronger and more unified nation. Great by Eight provides experienced insights on how we can get there.

Drawing on nearly thirty years in public administration, extensive work in early childhood program design, and an abundance of emerging research, Allen sheds light on the remarkable power of early childhood development. He illustrates how, in partnership with parents and caregivers, teachers and community-activists, corporate executives and community-based nonprofit leaders, and forward-thinking policymakers, America can dramatically cut social costs, rapidly create a stronger workforce, boost local economic development efforts, and improve our faltering international competitiveness. He clearly demonstrates that most children, given the right environment and support very early in life, can evolve into successful, contributive, and happy adults. We all have a role to play in making that happen.