WASHINGTON – Pop star Shakira said early childhood development was key to improving education for US Hispanics, as she began work on a new commission created by US President Barack Obama.

There is no better investment than investment in our kids, especially when they are very little,” Shakira said at the White House on Thursday.

“I can share a little bit of what I learned in the past 15 years working with Latino kids in Colombia and Latin America,” the Grammy award-winning Colombian diva said. “I am convinced that promoting early childhood development strategies and initiatives is the way to ensure that our kids, our Latino kids especially, will stick to their secondary education.”

Shakira was among four people named to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, a committee created by Obama last year that aims to expand access to high quality education for Hispanics.