Cost Estimate to Educate all 3- and 4-Year-Old Children from Low-Income Families in Minnesota at a Two-Year, High-Quality ECDP
| Annual cost of program | |
| Number of 3- and 4-year old children living in poverty* | 20,000 |
| Cost per child** | $9,500 |
| Total | $190,000,000 |
| Current funds available | |
| Federal and state annual funds for Head Start | |
| (Serves about 13,300 children at an annual costs of $5,750 per child) | $80,000,000 |
| School Readiness | |
| (An estimated 30 percent of children participating in the program live in poverty) | $3,000,000 |
| Early Childhood Family Education | |
| (Estimated amount currently spent on 3- and 4-year-old children who live in poverty) | $2,000,000
|
Total |
$85,000,000 |
| Total annual need (Cost-Current funds available) | $105,000,000 |
| $1.5 billion endowment invested in AAA corporate bonds yielding an average 7 percent annual return. | $105,000,000 |
*Based on statistics from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning
**Estimate based on Perry School program in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Return to: Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return
Table 1A—Benefit/Cost Analysis
Table 1B—Real Internal Rate of Return
