Upcoming Webinar – Return on Childhood: Making a Compelling Business Case for ECD Investment
Thursday, December 4, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Eastern
Free and Open to All
Strong early childhood systems fuel healthier societies and more resilient economies—and leaders need powerful data to make that case. This event equips participants with the tools to do exactly that.
Hosted by CE International’s Center for Business Champions, the webinar will support country leaders in turning data into compelling arguments—and real action—for investing in early childhood and building child-friendly policies. Through expert insight, resources, and examples, speakers will share key variables, model studies, and practical outreach strategies to provide participants with knowledge and tools to feel more confident to engage business leaders and policy-makers.
By the end of the webinar, participants will:
- Understand the role of the business case including what is return on investment (ROI) and why it matters for making the business case for ECD.
- Know a variety of variables that could be used to make the business case for ECD, including sources of data widely available across many countries.
- Be aware of several types of ROI studies that could potentially be replicated in different countries.
- Understand how to use this data to engage business leaders and policymakers across many countries.
Speakers
Clive Belfield
Clive Belfield is a professor of economics at Queens College, City University of New York, where he focuses on how education shapes people’s lives and economic opportunities. He earned his PhD in economics from the University of Exeter.
Belfield has led major studies on the value of education, including work on stackable credentials and the labor market returns of different postsecondary pathways. He has also been a key contributor to national research centers such as the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) and CAPSEE’s North Carolina project.
His most recent book, The Price We Pay: The Economic and Social Costs of Inadequate Education, examines the real-world consequences of underinvesting in learning. Over the years, he has written widely on the economics of education and has advised organizations ranging from the World Bank and the U.S. Department of Education to the British Government and leading nonprofits.
Sara Watson
Dr. Sara Watson founded and was the National and then Global Director of ReadyNation/ReadyNation International, designing, fundraising for, and leading the joint organization for 14 years. Her hands-on work included personally persuading more than a thousand executives to join campaigns for early childhood investments, and supporting them to take action. She worked with local partners in Brazil, Australia, Romania and Uganda to create their own networks of business champions for early childhood.
Sara has spoken at more than 15 international meetings of child development and business leaders on how to build partnerships between the sectors. She led the organization of more than a dozen national (U.S.) and two Global Business Summits on Early Childhood and the first European Business Forum on Early Childhood for audiences of business executives. Sara also co-chaired ECDAN’s Advocacy Task Force in 2016-2018. Before creating ReadyNation, she led The Pew Charitable Trusts’ national advocacy campaign for pre-K. Dr. Watson is now an independent consultant and the founder and principal of Watson Strategies, LLC. She serves in a consulting capacity with CE International. Sara holds Master of Public Policy and Ph.D. degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School.