Mission

ReadyNation amplifies the voice of business leaders in support of early childhood policies that strengthen our economy and workforce. Our multi-year plan involves researching a wide variety of early childhood issues, communicating our findings, and mobilizing business leaders and activists to build support for early investments. Originally created in 2006 by The Pew Charitable Trusts and a dozen other funders, we became part of America’s Promise Alliance in early 2012 and at that that time changed our name from the Partnership for America’s Economic Success to ReadyNation.

To learn more about ReadyNation and the case for investment in early childhood programs please click to view our brochure (With endnotes). 

America's Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest partnership dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth, uniting more than 400 national organizations and their local affiliates. These partners—including nonprofits, businesses, communities, educators and policymakers—work together to ensure that all children experience the Five Promises, the fundamental supports they need to succeed: Caring Adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, Effective Education, and Opportunities to Help Others. The signature initiative of America’s Promise is the Grad Nation campaign, which is dedicated to increasing the nationwide high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020, with no school graduating less than 80 percent of its students.Because research has demonstrated that a child with a strong start is more likely to be successful, ReadyNation’s focus on early childhood helps communities provide young people with a crucial foundation for independent, secure and happy lives. Read the press release on ReadyNation's transition to America's Promise Alliance.

The Need

Today’s American students are less prepared than their parents, or their international peers, to be the productive citizens, neighbors and taxpayers.

To overcome these challenges, we must focus on fixing the problem at the beginning of a child's life, where the returns to society and the child are the greatest. At just three years of age, children of poor parents use fewer than half the words spoken by their wealthier peers. By kindergarten entry, many low-income children are so far behind that they will repeat grades, struggle through school and never graduate. This has dire consequences for state and federal budgets, public safety and the nation’s economic competitiveness; children who lack a strong start disproportionately grow to be adults who are unhealthy, are unemployed or earn lower wages, pay fewer taxes and rely more on public services.

Investing in smart early childhood policies reaps returns today, tomorrow and for generations to come.

The Plan

In order to make the successful development of children the top economic priority of the nation, ReadyNation has outlined a multi-year plan to research a wide variety of early childhood issues, communicate the findings, and mobilize business leaders and activists to make the case for early childhood investments.

Phase 1: Research

Over a three year period (2006-2008), the Partnership’s team of economic thinkers and early childhood program researchers examined a range of investments in young children, from before birth to age five. We found solid evidence of economic impacts across a wide variety of interventions and conditions – housing, nutrition, health care, parenting, family income and early learning.

Read more about our research.

Phase 2: Mobilization

On July 1, 2009 the Partnership began to mobilize the business community to improve tomorrow’s economy through smart policy investments in young children today. By supporting business networks that advocate for early learning policies with conferences, trainings and business leader summits, we are helping to develop a national network of business leaders fighting for our country's economic success.