The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families (WCCF) has recently released a policy brief discussing the strong, positive benefits that can result from investments in early education. The research findings from this report can be used to inform policy makers, community leaders, parents, and businesses about the importance of the first five years of life. Included in the report are the results of several studies that discuss the positive effects of high-quality early education programs on children (and society as a whole), findings from several brain development researchers, and estimates for the economic return on early childhood education investments.