Does preschool yield bottom-line benefits?

Nap time ended and it was time to hear how Jeremy Jacobs became a pirate. The children listened to the book on tape as one of them turned pages. Then mothers began appearing and the day was over.

A handful of children stayed for extended hours, while more than 200 went out into the crisp February air, some chattering, some silent, some still rubbing sleepy eyes.

Is this what economic development looks like? Sure is, says economist Art Rolnick, research director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis: Public dollars spent on children pay off.

Read more: Atlanta Constitution