Community Partnerships

There has been growing recognition of the importance of community partnerships, which are the planful joining together of various community, county, state, and federal groups and programs to best meet the needs of young children and their families. The return on financial investment in quality early care and education, according to well-known longitudinal research such as the famous HighScope studies, is high, with more than a dollar return on an early childhood investment of one dollar (Kirp, 2007). Sociologists have lamented the fact that social networks and connections in communities have dissipated in recent years, with young people of all ages receiving less investment and attention from adults. Efforts to build communities that can support children and families are “money in the bank,” building the ...