Early childhood education should be seen as an important part of the economy. That's one of the findings of a report released this week by the MIT Workplace Center and the Family Initiative of Legal Momentum. Ann Bookman is executive director for the center:

[Bookman]: We need to put on a new pair of glasses when we look at early care and education. We used to call it childcare, we don't call it that anymore. We need one lens to help us see it as part of our educational system and another lens to see it as a key part of developing and sustaining a vibrant economy.

The report found that investment in early education is a payoff for communities. Leslie Calman, director of New York-based Legal Momentum says the report children who enter quality early education are more likely to finish school and contribute positively to society.

[Calman]: There more likely to graduate from high school, to hold good jobs, to pay taxes, to contribute to the economy.

Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut says she plans to ask the Government Accountability Office to do a national report on the economic impact of early care and education.