For families in which the mother is not currently employed and where the mother cares for her children in the home, any expenditures on preschool education represent an investment in the child. Since the value of this investment again must be at least equal to its cost, this number represents a lower bound on the value of this care in terms of the child's future well-being and productivity. Imputing Benefits from the Cost of Educationi Educators often argue that education is far more effective for younger children. By the time children enter high school, their basic skills and attitudes have already been developed, and their future success is fairly predictable. In large part, this has been rooted in a belief that mothers, caring for children at home full time, could provide the best possible early educational experience.
Several factors suggest that investment in early education is becoming more critical.
First, many families with mothers who stay at home with their children understand the value of early education in formal arrangements. As mentioned above, those families, when they can afford it, generally pay for early preschool experiences. Second, many children now do not experience the idealized, traditional kinds of home care. Increased family breakup means that many children are raised by single parents, who almost inevitably have lower incomes and increased stress. Good quality early childhood education experiences can be extremely effective in raising the later educational and social achievements of these children.