The public dollars spent to stimulate economic development would be more wisely invested in child development programs, according to two different streams of research. Brain research shows the impact of experiences and environments on the developing brain architecture, with weaker architecture leading to increased vulnerability to later problems ranging from anxiety and depression to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke. Longitudinal studies show that high-quality early childhood programs reduce the number of low-income children who later need special education, public assistance, or incarceration, and increase the number who have well-paying jobs and high school degrees. These studies show a long-term rate of return of up to 16 percent for every dollar spent, making programs such as these a smart economic development strategy. (Contains 5 notes.) [The interviewer for this report was Richard Louv.]