Squandering America's Future—Why ECE Policy Matters for Equality, Our Economy, and Our Children

Diane Ravitch called Susan Ochshorn “a tireless advocate for children,” and her writing “brilliant.” In Squandering America’s Future, Ochshorn offers a pioneering guide to the big issues in contemporary early childhood policy. Written in a lively, personal style, the book drives home the importance of the earliest years for developing human capital—the nation’s future. Her “policy tales” highlight the abject failure of the United States to support parents and early educators, the nation’s real wealth producers, and will inspire a new generation of leadership. With her 360-degree view, Ochshorn boldly and clearly shows how early care and education is an issue of social justice that also impacts America’s ability to compete on the world stage.

Squandering America’s Future features:

• An irreverent, illuminating, firsthand account of the promise and perils of ECE’s ascendance to the top of the national policy agenda.
• An accessible introduction to the big issues in contemporary ECE policy for students of early childhood education and public policy.
• A straightforward look at the effects of push-down academics on children’s healthy development, including the critical ability to play.
• Historical, social, and cultural obstacles to achieving equity for young children and their families.
• Profiles of innovative initiatives and the people who are making a difference across the United States.

Susan Ochshorn is the founder of the consulting firm ECE PolicyWorks. A former journalist, Ochshorn blogs at the Huffington Post and ECE Policy Matters, the go-to place for early childhood teachers, those who train them, and the decision makers who determine their professional course.

"Recommended for parents, politicians, and anyone who has worked in education."

—Library Journal

"Susan Ochshorn has written an ambitious book, unlike any other in early childhood policy. With a broad canvas, a strong moral compass, and pragmatism, she connects the dots between the diverse influences on the lives of children, her passion for their well-being shining through. It’s a must-read for all who care about kids."
—Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Founder, Defending the Early Years, author, Taking Back Childhood

"In this eye-opening book, Susan Ochshorn reveals the enormous gap between the policies we need to support our youngest children and the aggressive neglect so many currently experience. An urgent call to action that could change the course of the nation’s future.”
—Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University, author, The Flat World and Education

“Susan Ochshorn has created a kaleidoscope of stories and statistics to illustrate the profound injustices we are visiting on our children and the corresponding injuries we are inflicting on ourselves. We can only hope that Squandering America’s Future will help to turn the tide.”
—Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO, New America

"I was riveted by Squandering America’s Future. Susan Ochshorn offers a sweeping, and hopeful, vision of human capital creation, one that respects children and values the work of those who nurture their formidable capabilities. Indispensable for policymakers, educators, and all who care about our future."
—Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade and The Real Wealth of Nations

"Susan Ochshorn paints a picture of children and families in America exposed to risks and circumstances that threaten their lives, happiness, and future. Fortunately, she doesn’t leave us in despair but shows us how a few dedicated people, schools, agencies, and institutions have made a difference in children’s lives—a difference that is enhancing early development in this generation and those to come."
—Samuel J. Meisels, founding executive director, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, University of Nebraska

"In Squandering America’s Future, Susan Ochshorn introduces her readers to a vast community of innovative and indefatigable individuals, all converging around an urgent cry for more effective and more egalitarian investments in our young children. This unconventional book is sharp eyed, warm, and lively—a delightful read on a dead-serious topic."
—Janet Gornick, professor of political science and sociology, Graduate Center, City University of New York

"This remarkable book manages to pinpoint the critical issues in the care and education of young children with up-to-date research, and all of this in a pleasurable and lively style. This needs to be read widely, and right away."
—Deborah Meier, New York University, author, The Power of their Ideas

“Susan Ochshorn’s book is a must-read, skillfully weaving science, theory, and passion. Her voice—on the dynamic and ecological nature of development—comes through loud and clear, setting the direction for policy and practice.” —Elizabeth Isakson, codirector, Docs for Tots

"Thank you for being the voice of the voiceless and for continuing to fight for many of us who choose to do quality work with children and families but who are too tired to speak out."
—Bonnie Mallonga, COO, 1199SEIU Future of America Learning Center

"Beyond the talking/selling points of investing in early childhood education, Ochshorn's Squandering America's Future strives to ask critical questions about our current world while marveling at the potential of all children."
—Jose Vilson, math educator and author, This is Not A Test