In 2015, The Bridgespan Group and the Pritzker Children’s Initiative published a guide making the case for philanthropic investments to ensure that all children in the United States arrive at kindergarten fully ready to learn and thrive. A decade later, expanded private and public investment has driven progress, and further research has sharpened the case. We set out to refresh our guidance with this publication, hoping it will help foundations, individual donors, and the advisors and staff who support them as they discern and make investments to support our youngest children and their families.
Research across multiple disciplines has demonstrated that the foundation for success in life begins during pregnancy and continues through age 5, and that investments in early childhood can have a lasting impact. When children thrive during their earliest years, they are more likely to thrive for their entire lives. And entire communities are better off for it. So, whether a funder’s giving has focused on K–12 or post-secondary education, women’s or children’s health, gender equity, housing, economic mobility, or specific geographies, funders will find a compelling rationale for investing in early childhood development in ways that will strengthen impact in their priority areas.
Early Childhood Resources
We've created a resource list that provides a starting point for donors, as well as their staff and advisors, to learn more about the why and the how of investing in early childhood initiatives. Visit the list >>
You can also learn more about Bridgespan's related consulting services on our Early Childhood Consulting page.
If you have a question about the guide, or if you are interested in discussing other topics with a member of our early childhood team, please reach out at [email protected]. We try to respond to requests within one week.
Building on the progress of the past decade, this guide discusses four especially critical opportunities for philanthropic investment:
- Closing gaps in family supports to ensure all families with young children can access evidence-based services tailored to their needs
- Nurturing community-led solutions for families with young children
- Building the chorus of supporters to cultivate broad-based support and a bench of influential champions for young children and their families
- Strengthening public investment and advancing smart policies to ensure public systems can reliably support young children and families
By investing in these opportunities, individual donors and foundations can play a powerful role in helping more families access what they need, building public will to sustain it, and strengthening the systems on which young children rely. Working together with leaders, organizations, and communities, philanthropy can help build a future where all young children have the strong start they deserve.
