The economic costs to nations are even
higher. Multiplied by the cohorts of
the population with decreased income
potential, these percentages indicate the
extreme economic ramifications of inaction
in early childhood and school readiness.
Although the return on investment for
early childhood programmes is higher than
for any other human capital development
programme, the average government
invests less than 5 per cent of total public
spending on education during the preprimary
years.