There are plenty of good arguments for better early learning in research papers and academia, but when those arguments come from the business world it’s a big step forward.

Now, one of the nation’s top human resources groups has called for smarter investments in early learning in a new brief that suggests if we want to create a competitive workforce for tomorrow, we should invest in better child care today.

The foundation of skills required to grow a team-capable, job-ready workforce is built in the earliest years of life - between birth and age 5 – yet we do not give our young children the early supports they need to get there. – “Meeting the Workforce Needs of Tomorrow, Means Meeting the Developmental Needs of Children Today.” (Thanks to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies for highlighting this report.)

The Society for Human Resource Management brief covers familiar ground – early learning’s great return on investment and the rapid brain growth from birth to age three.

But, its argument starts with a different and fresher angle, suggesting that today’s workforce is falling short in key areas and that better investment in early learning is part of the solution.

 …Although employers expect young people to arrive in the workplace with a set of basic and applied skills, the reality is not matching expectations. – “Meeting the Workforce Needs of Tomorrow,” citing the 2006 report “Are They Really Ready to Work?”

For example, the report says 40 percent of employers rated high school graduates as lacking skills they needed for entry-level jobs.

For the next two decades, they will be learning how to think, act and compete in the global marketplace. By investing in our youngest children now – when those investments will yield the highest societal returns - we can build the workforce we need to keep America competitive in the years ahead. – “Meeting the Workforce Needs of Tomorrow.”

To build that workforce, the human resources group joined forces with other business types, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturing Institute, to lobby for better children’s programs.

Check it out.