… Analyzing data from a series of long-term studies, a band of scientists, educators, and economists say that aggressive preschool training for children from troubled homes yields extraordinary dividends for the families and society. Waiting until elementary school or later doesn’t pay off. With an early start, “all the evidence says that we can reduce inequality, and it’s economically efficient,” says James J. Heckman, Nobel laureate and economist at the University of Chicago…

“The research is overwhelming,” says Arthur J. Rolnick, director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and an enthusiastic supporter of such programs. “It all comes down to “the earlier, the better.’” …

Advocates of early intervention find support on the cutting edge of neuro-biology. It turns out the architecture of an animal’s brain is shaped powerfully by events early in life.

Source: BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_43/b4006099.htm?chan=search