State of the World's Mothers Report: U.S. Trails Many Developed Countries in Early Childhood Development

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 5, 2009) — Actor and Save the Children Ambassador Jennifer Garner today launched a new Save the Children report revealing an urgent need for deeper investment in early childhood development that better prepares young children for success in school. Garner called for $2 billion in additional funding from President Obama and Congress. Follow this story, and others, on Twitter.

Garner met Glenda, and her daughter Marissa, at a book exchange program in Orange Cove, CA, 3/09. Credit: Cameron Schiller

"Three-year-olds don't even have bootstraps to pull on," said Garner. "Our leaders in Washington and in the states must commit every resource to put all children on an equal path to success."

After reading to children at a Head Start center in Washington, D.C., Garner met with key leaders on Capitol Hill to request support for early childhood education funding nationwide. 

Save the Children's 2009 State of the World's Mothers report shows that two-thirds of America's fourth graders are reading below grade level and that more than 200 million children under 5 in developing countries are not reaching their full learning potential due to poverty, poor health, insufficient nutrition and deficient care. Read Ten Tips for Parents of Young Children for Save the Children's simple strategies for educational success.

The report also shows that the U.S. ranks towards the bottom of the world's wealthiest nations in its commitment to early childhood development — 18th out of 25 rich countries ranked. In reviewing 10 minimum child care standards in 25 countries, the report found Sweden met all 10 benchmarks, the UK met five and the U.S. met three. Only Australia, Canada and Ireland scored lower.

"One in six children live in poverty in the United States," said Mark Shriver, managing director of U.S. Programs for Save the Children. "Comprehensive early childhood development programs, starting in infancy, can put millions of children in the U.S. and worldwide on the path to school success. There is an urgent need for action at every level to support these programs." Click here to read a state-by-state ranking in the U.S. School Success Index.

For a copy of the report, please visit http://www.savethechildren.org/worlds-mothers-report-download. Photos and b-roll available by request.

Among the report's major findings:

• More than 2.4 million public school fourth graders — 68 percent — are reading below grade level. No state has more than half of its public school fourth graders reading at grade level.

• Young children in five New England states — Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine — are better prepared to succeed in school than children elsewhere in the country.

• The states where young children face the greatest obstacles to school success are New Mexico (ranked last), followed by Nevada, Mississippi, Arizona and Alabama.

Save the Children recommendations:

• Invest in better healthcare for mothers and young children.

• Provide coaching and information to help parents give children the best chance to succeed.

• Improve training and support for early child care providers and preschool teachers.

• Expand early learning for children affected by HIV/AIDS, conflict and natural disasters.

• Increase government support for early childhood development programs in the U.S. and worldwide.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries.