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Executive Summary <br />20 North Carolina Institute of Medicine <br />both short- and long-term cognitive development and physical and mental <br />health. This knowledge must inform and undergird all of North Carolina’s <br />investments in its citizens if the state is to grow and prosper. North Carolina <br />has already seen the benefits from making significant investments in the health <br />and well-being of young children, particularly around physical and cognitive <br />development. North Carolina also has a long history of supporting physical <br />health by providing health care coverage for low-income pregnant women and <br />children through the Medicaid program and cognitive development through <br />school readiness programs such as Smart Start, Early Head Start, Head Start, <br />and the NC-PreK program. The benefits of these investments would grow <br />further if investments in the social-emotional development and mental health <br />of young children were strengthened. Investments such as the ones described <br />in this report to support the social-emotional development and mental health <br />of young children and their families have the potential to prevent a wide range <br />of adverse outcomes as well as generate large economic returns for all of North <br />Carolina. <br />Investments <br />to support the <br />social-emotional <br />development and <br />mental health of <br />young children <br />have the potential <br />to prevent a wide <br />range of adverse <br />outcomes as well <br />as generate large <br />economic returns <br />for all of North <br />Carolina.