By improving access, quality and provider reimbursement rates, this budget proposal would go a long way towards creating a stable and comprehensive care and education system that improves prospects for working families, and provides our youngest learners with the opportunity to thrive and succeed in the 21st century.

In California, we like to lead. I’ve said it before. It’s an idea woven into the marrow of Next Generation, and this week it was proven true again.

California can and should take a stand on closing the word gap by investing in early learning and development.

Ann O'Leary's speech at the Child Care Aware of America Symposium on the word gap and the importance of talking, reading and singing with babies and toddlers to build their brains and prepare them for later learning and good health outcomes.

While some of us were watching the excitement mount during the Sochi Olympics these past two weeks, California policymakers were doing some exciting things in Sacramento.

Children who don't hear enough words from birth through their toddler years are unprepared to begin school, and don’t have the vocabulary or cognitive skills that will help them succeed in life. That's why our Too Small to Fail initiative has partnered with Univision to give Hispanic parents and caregivers the information they need to help close the word gap.

The likelihood of a child's succeeding in school, leading a healthy life and productively contributing to the economic engine of California is largely set before the child ever crosses the threshold to kindergarten. Sadly, childhood poverty is the No. 1 predictor for educational success and health outcomes.

Governor Brown’s 2014-2015 budget contains significant investments in schools, additional aid to children and families, and a healthy projected surplus for a state that has not seen such positive figures in years. Yet the Governor’s Budget Summary contains no language speaking to the need for increased investment in preschool, or early childhood education.

Simple activities such as singing, dancing, and making music together can improve a child’s memory and learning.

Today’s PISA scores tell us that to remain competitive in a global marketplace we need to recognize that investments in early education paired with deep parental involvement, and a strong focus on the distribution of school resources, will lay the foundation for achievement in school, college, career, and life.

The Senate HELP Committee introduced the Strong Start for America's Children Act

Too Small to Fail is partnering up with amazing parent-bloggers at Go Mighty, an online network of goal sharing, support and achievement.

We applaud the effort of Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Representative George Miller (D-CA) for introducing federal legislation that addresses the educational needs of all children in the earliest years, from birth to age five.

A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that only 36% of kids are on track with cognitive skills by third grade. Data on hunger, poverty, and child care indicate that American kids need more support.

New research has come out on the word gap, an issue Too Small to Fail is working to address. And it looks like climate-savvy Californians are learning how to have their cars and drive them, too (with less fuel). Apparently, "mind the gap" is not just for folks who ride the train.

In today's New York Times, we learned about new research by Stanford Psychology Professor Anne Fernald and her colleagues that adds powerful evidence to the theory that children's learning starts very early. Professor Fernald’s research shows that by the time children are two years old, there is already a gap in language proficiency of six months between higher- and lower-income children.

For very young children preparing for school means developing important social and emotional skills, as well as cognitive skills that will help them get ready to learn when they begin kindergarten.

Despite trepidation about new expectations for young children, the unavoidable truth is that preschool-aged children today will face challenges that did not exist even ten years ago.

2013 could be a fulcrum moment in U.S. public education because of the prevalence of major reform initiatives taking root

The data from the Center for Disease Control demonstrating obesity rates dropping among low-income preschoolers has the First Lady strutting her stuff. The songs, “Veggie Luv” and “U R What You Eat,” are part of an album of hip-hop songs inspired by the “Let’s Move Campaign.”

Overweight kids may be consuming far more calories than their doctors or parents realize, but recent studies show efforts made by communities to make healthy foods available to kids register promising reductions in childhood obesity rates.

News that matters to the Next Generation.

News that matters to the Next Generation.

News that matters to the Next Generation.

News that matters to the Next Generation.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual report on child well-being is more evidence that we need a national focus on early education—not only in the public sphere, but also in the private sector, and in our personal lives.

News that matters to the Next Generation.

California's budget surplus could help children in poverty, argues Ann O'Leary in this op-ed cross-posted from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation are partnering with Next Generation on the “Too Small To Fail" Children's Initiative.

Next Generation’s Children & Families program partners with former Secretary of State and the Clinton Foundation to focus on improving outcomes for children ages zero to five.

Today's changes to health care and K-12 education funding are a step in the right direction, but won't matter much tomorrow without earlier and broader investments in kids.

On Monday, after Sunday's flowers and the breakfast in bed, we remember that most days for America's working moms are harder than they should or have to be.

The President's proposal to fund pre-K through an increased cigarette tax has already been proven to work and could effectively save money and lives. But there are still skeptics...

Successful early ed programs are anything but a fluke. They're real and present - look at Georgia, Oklahoma, New Jersey, North Carolina (for a start) - and they can work anywhere.

Early childhood education is a smart investment with huge returns. Unfortunately, vocal opponents have been harping on the costs, which are only half the equation. For the whole picture, check the third installment of this week's myth-busting blog series.

Do the positive effects of preschool really "fade out" by third grade, or are they erased by poverty and failing schools? Debunking the myth that early learning is ineffective. Come back to the blog for more myth busting all week!

This week we're debunking some of the biggest myths about early childhood education, starting with the all too prevalent assumption that the academic playing field is even.

We've spent a lot of time worrying about institutions deemed "Too Big to Fail," but now it's time to focus on those who are Too Small to Fail- America's kids.

Hosted by Nancy Pelosi and the SEIU, Ann O'Leary spoke at an event to improve childcare choices and availability in California.

Cutting education spending is business-as-usual, but investing in education, especially in early childhood, is much better business.