LEWISBURG -- A family with a preschooler and an infant can spend up to $14,000 a year in childcare costs, experts say.

The community can benefit from this investment because children who are provided quality early childhood education later enjoy greater academic performance, earning potential and a healthier lifestyle.

However, parents usually get little help with the cost of pre-kindergarten education.

"More than 90 percent of our brain development is done by age 5, but despite that fact, 95 percent of public investment in education is given to schools for children after they turn 5. The gap is more significant for at-risk and low-income children," William Lehr Jr., president and chief executive officer of Capital BlueCross said at an event Tuesday sponsored by the Early Care and Education Coalition of Northumberland County, a Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way Agency affiliate, and the Early Care and Education Community Engagement Team of Union and Snyder counties, of the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Union County.

Lehr said federal spending on early childhood education is growing. Pennsylvania has recently begun spending more, too, he added. National spending rose from $2.4 million in 2004 to $4.2 million in 2007, according to Lehr.

"We have made considerable progress," Lehr said. "Pennsylvania was one of nine states that did not have state-funded pre-kindergarten in 2002. Today, Pennsylvania is one of the leaders in that category."

With increased government subsidies threatened by the weakened economy, other sources to support expanded early childhood education need to be identified, he said.

Lehr said employers can take the biggest leap by investing in local child care centers and supporting their employees who rely on that service daily.

"Every $1 we spend on childcare education saves $17 in future expenditures on services like special education and welfare," said Lehr.

"In today's business climate it boils down to who has the skills, who has the insight and who has the good ideas. Investing in early child care education is a down payment on our future."

Lehr said building support in the private sector, including the business community, will help childcare programs survive the current economic slowdown and a possible dip in state assistance next year.

The difference in funding between childcare programs and public schools has added to the challenges, according to Sharon Koppel, executive director of Snyder/Union/Mifflin Child Development Inc., which provides care to 3,000 local children with a $12 million annual budget.

Koppel said the cost for public schools is about $10,000 per student, which is about $7.47 per hour. Preschoolers, ages 3 to 5 years, cost about $6,250 per child, roughly $2.75 per hour, she added.

"We all know that public education is supported by (local taxpayers), but childcare is only supported by parent fees," Koppel said.

Lehr said results of early childhood education show that those programs work, which is why more investment makes sense. "A well-educated healthy child has a greater chance of growing into a well-educated healthy adult," Lehr said. "Adults who begin with pre-kindergarten education tend to have greater skills, better earning power and contribute more in taxes. They are also less likely to commit crime or end up relying on social services.