The Early Years Last Forever: Rethinking Early Childhood Education with Dr. Dan Wuori

The Early Learning Cohort kicked off the year on September 11, 2024, with an engaging session led by Dr. Dan Wuori, President of Early Childhood Policy Solutions and author of The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It).

“Learning begins in utero and never stops,” Wuori said. His presentation called for a reimagined early childhood system, urging district leaders to shift from a custodial mindset to one focused on nurturing relationships that drive brain development.

Key Takeaways from Dr. Wuori’s Presentation:

• The Daycare Myth: “Daycares are not just a safe, warm place where children are kept; it’s not just an industrialized form of babysitting,” Wuori noted. He stressed that early childhood environments are “learning laboratories,” second only to the home in their potential to shape lifelong development. “The misconception that early education is just daycare misses the point,” he added.

• Learning Starts Early: “Brain development is most rapid from prenatal to age three,” Wuori said. “By the time a child reaches kindergarten, 90% of their brain has already developed.” He emphasized that learning doesn’t begin in kindergarten or pre-K but in the earliest stages of life, even in utero. “The first three years are the most consequential period of human development,” he added. “This makes early investments critical—not just for educational success, but for lifelong well-being.”

• Investing in Early Childhood Pays Off: Public investments in early childhood programs save money in the long run: “We are already paying for the system we need,” Wuori explained. “We’re just spending it in all the wrong ways.” He emphasized that proactive investment in early childhood leads to fewer costs later on, stating, “Thoughtful investments in young children mitigate the need for expensive interventions down the road—whether that’s in the form of special education, criminal justice involvement, or increased social service utilization.”

• Addressing the Workforce Crisis: Wuori highlighted the severe undercompensation of early childhood educators, who often earn less than fast food workers. “The adults in these settings are not just caregivers. They are co-constructing children’s brains, shaping their development in profound ways,” he said. “We need to reimagine how we support and compensate early educators,” he added, calling for district leaders to prioritize partnerships with private providers to create sustainable, high-quality early learning environments.

• A Success Story – South Dakota’s First Full-Day Preschool: A highlight of the meeting came when Summer Schultz, a longtime cohort member and superintendent from South Dakota, shared her district’s success story.
  
  "I have been in this cohort for many years, and I've never had anything really very good to share,” Schultz admitted. “But after listening to Dan’s previous work, it helped guide our community, and we just opened the first licensed all-day preschool in South Dakota.”
  Schultz explained how her district created 360 new early learning spots, including 100 daycare spots for children aged 0 to 3, without disrupting existing childcare services. “This cohort has been invaluable,” she said. “All of the things Dan talked about were a big piece of making this a reality.”

As Wuori emphasized, “The early years last forever,” and the work we do today will have a lasting impact on children, families, and communities.

Dr. Wuori shared insightful ideas for district leaders to consider as they work to improve early childhood education. He reminded participants that transforming early learning requires more than just policy changes—it demands a commitment to ongoing reflection, collaboration, and challenging the status quo. “Public policy often treats early childhood settings as holding pens, focused on basic health and safety, rather than environments where critical learning happens,” Wuori noted. The responsibility lies not only in making early learning accessible but in ensuring that it is of the highest quality.

As Wuori emphasized, “The early years last forever,” and the work we do today will have a lasting impact on children, families, and communities.