The rate of return on the investment in early childhood education is enormously high. In terms of the rate of return, for every dollar you invest, most academic studies show anything from $1.50 to $2.50 of economic and social return, and if you focus on people from disadvantaged backgrounds, it's quite possible to have a double-digit return. Within the OECD, Canada ranks dead last in terms of investment in this area at a mere quarter point of GDP.
On April 16th, 2013. See this statement in context.