... Furthermore, states shouldwelcome a diverse set of providers that meet qualitystandards and the needs of the parents and communities they serve. Business leaders shouldadvocate preschool and ... years—improvingtheir educational achievement and attainment, employment, earnings, and health, while lesseningtheir involvement in crime and dependence on socialprograms. Economically, the long-term ... stability and social balance. The stakesare high, but early and sustained investments in education, especially in the preschool years, will provide a strong defense,allowing the states and the nation...