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Panelists urge deeper investment in early childhood as long-term strategy
Summary
Speakers highlighted early‑childhood (0–5) supports as a high-impact, long-term investment, citing outcomes and a documentary ('No Small Matter') that influenced local leaders' thinking.
Several panelists argued that investing in early childhood education and services (age 0–5) is a high-impact strategy that should be prioritized amid funding uncertainty.
Joe Gotren of Gladden Community House said his organization’s preschool and early-childhood programs generate markedly improved outcomes: he described recent result scores showing students served by the program were achieving kindergarten readiness at rates roughly three times the Franklin County average. Gotren said this reinforced his belief that deeper investments in 0–5 are essential: “As a society, we're underinvesting in 0 to 5, and it is absolutely if we're gonna not be here 10 years from now or 15 years from now and be in an even worse shape, we need to act on and pony up on 0 to 5 and go deeper.”
Gotren also cited the documentary No Small Matter as influential in shaping his urgency: he told the audience he watched it after a recommendation and called it “a life changer” that changed how he thinks about societal investment in young children.
Why it matters: panelists tied early-childhood investment to long-term outcomes in education, workforce readiness and justice; they urged funders and civic partners to prioritize sustained support rather than short-term crisis responses.
Ending: Panelists recommended targeted data-driven investment in 0–5 services and described partnerships (public and private) as necessary to scale those programs; no formal funding commitments were made at the forum.
