1. Engaging Manufacturers in Early Childhood Development Jennifer M. McNelly Senior Vice President

2. ENGAGING NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS

3. Meeting the manufacturing and business workforce needs of the future means meeting the educational needs of children today.

4. Manufacturing Drives the American Economy To continue to thrive, the manufacturing industry must attract and retain a skilled, educated workforce that can spur and maintain continual innovation.

5. Growing a Skilled, High- Performance Workforce If our education system were a business, its products would be judged as inferior and its stock value would be falling.

6. High School Graduation Rates Must Improve…. Source: U.S. Chamber Institute for a Competitive Workforce

7. Talent Options for Business Import the talent Export the job Grow the talent here

8. MAKING THE CASE FOR MANUFACTURERS

9. Why Early Childhood Development? –Workforce Development and Economic Development are Interrelated and Interdependent –Early Childhood Care and Education is a Foundational Issue for Economic Development

10. Early Investment Results Return On Investment (ROI) SOURCE: Heckman, James J. Schools, skills and synapses. Economic Inquiry. July 2008.

11. The Economic Case Benefits of quality early learning: –Promotes positive brain development –Strengthens families –Promotes school readiness –Saves tax dollars –Contributes to long-term economic growth –Prepares today ’ s children for tomorrow ’ s competitive workforce

12. Engaging From The Ground Up Putting the Pieces Together The Current State of Early Childhood Education in Bartholomew County, IN

13. “Connecting the Dots…”

14. Why Early Childhood Education? Currently in the county: –Raised/leveraged/invested more than $150 million over the past ten years to support alignment of the secondary and post secondary system with our economy (and we will continue to support this work); HOWEVER, –Must invest in our youngest citizens and their parents or our industries will not be able to conduct the types of work that pay well, retain companies and attract new investment.

15. Why Early Childhood Education? Currently in the region: –25 percent of adults age 25 and over: Do not have a high school diploma Additional 25 percent have received little or no education or training beyond high school –Nearly two-thirds of high school graduates who attempt college do not complete a degree within six years of leaving high school –High school dropout rate in the region is 30 percent –Only 15.5 percent have bachelors degrees or above (state = ~24% nation = ~26%)

16. WHAT DO YOU NEED? JUST TELL ME

17. Take Action Write an Op-Ed or letter to the editor; call into talk radio; post on a blog Contact your local children’s group Encourage providers of early childhood services to join community and civic organizations Encourage your peers to get involved Host a forum to share research Promote sensible policies on early childhood development Call on state and local government Join a commission on early childhood policy Contact policy makers, leveraging your relationships

18. Thank You! The Manufacturing Institute Institute@nam.org www.nam.org/institute www.PartnershipforSuccess.org