In his State of the Union address on February 12,
2013, President Obama stated,
In states that make it a priority to educate our
youngest children…studies show students grow
up more likely to read and do math at grade
level, graduate high school, hold a job, form
more stable families of their own. We know this
works. So let’s do what works and make sure
none of our children start the race of life already
behind.
This statement, along with other statements from
the President in his last two terms is primarily based on
research showing that brain development occurs most
rapidly early in life. Organizations, such as UNICEF, an
organization developed in the 1940s as a way to address
the needs of children worldwide, have advocated for early
childhood education because of the immense brain
development occurring in the first years of life (The