History

Almost 20 years ago, leaders in early childhood realized that it was time for action.

In 2004, leaders at the Buffett Early Childhood Fund began to explore ways to act on the new learning that had been emerging on the importance of early childhood education and support. Buffet was soon joined by three additional major investors: Irving Harris Foundation, George Kaiser Family Foundation, and the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation.

The Buffett Early Childhood Fund developed a strategy to align early childhood practices, research, and policy across the country and founded the Birth to Five Policy Alliance in 2005.

Over the next decade, research on the science of brain development, child development, and economic return on investment increasingly showed that the kids farthest behind make the greatest gains when intervention and prevention start at birth and continue through age eight. So in 2012, we widened our focus to encompass birth through age eight, and we became the Alliance for Early Success.

Today, we are the 50-state resource for state-level advocates for early childhood education, health, and family supports. We make targeted strategic financial investments in these state organizations and the national experts that support them, and we convene them in national meetings and policy-specific learning communities. All 50 states also have access to high-level technical assistance and rapid-response support that connects advocates with experts—and each other—for crucial information exchange.