Motivated by the growing knowledge of the importance of the first five years of life for promoting lifelong health and well-being, especially for children at greatest risk of poor outcomes, RAND researchers have conducted a series of reviews to assess and summarize the evidence for early childhood programs. Their latest synthesis confirms earlier findings that programs, such as home visiting, parent education, and early care and education (ECE)--alone or in combination--can have a positive influence on children's development in multiple domains. The updated research also bolsters earlier findings that effective programs can largely pay for themselves, especially in the long term. The findings should increase the confidence on the part of policymakers, funders, program implementers, and other stakeholders that effective early childhood programs can be a worthwhile investment, benefiting participating children and their families, as well as society as a whole. This brief discusses those findings and other highlights from Investing Early: Taking Stock of Outcomes and Economic Returns from Early Childhood Programs. (author abstract)