Giving Compass' Take:

• During a time when early childhood education is at the utmost importance, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos are pledging $2 billion for the Bezos Day One Fund to create a network of preschools for low-income communities and support nonprofits to help homeless families. Education Dive digs into the pre-K elements.

• Since Bezos' announcement of this plan, details have been scant. What can we tell from the information we know so far, namely the fact that the investment will likely focus on the Montessori school model?

• Read more about the importance of early childhood care and education.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced on Thursday that he and his wife, MacKenzie, are pledging $2 billion to form a network of preschools in low-income communities, as well as fund nonprofits that help homeless families. The project’s name: the Bezos Day One Fund.

Bezos’s donation seems to be rooted in good intentions, and it comes at a time when early-childhood education is dominating talks of how to revamp nationwide learning efforts. The First Five Years Fund, which aims to get more federal support for early education, says preschool enrollment has continued to increase, but that there still isn’t enough money to match this uptick and create high-quality programs. Bezos’s pledge could be one of the biggest ever to be given to preschools, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Research and advocates also agree that another problem comes from a lack of access to preschool and other early-childhood education programs, especially in low-income, rural or underserved areas. In 2016, 58% of 3-year-olds and 34% of 4-year-olds in the U.S. weren’t enrolled in a nursery school, preschool or kindergarten program, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education.

Early-childhood education is often paired with other efforts to change the learning landscape, including personalized learning, which benefits students by adjusting to their individual skills and letting them move at their own pace. The Day One Fund’s preschools will be inspired by Montessori schools, which emphasizes self-directed, multi-age groups.

Read the full article about Jeff Bezos investing in preschools by Jessica Campisi at Education Dive.