Law Enforcement Leaders Ask Senator Pryor for Crime Prevention Investment
Jun 29th 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29) – Little Rock Asst. Chief Eric Higgins, Waldron Chief of Police David Millard, and Madison Chief of Police Jonathan Parks, Sr. traveled to Washington to ask Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor to support policies that help kids get the right start and cut future crime.
They asked Senator Pryor to increase investments in early childhood care and education as an effective approach to reducing crime. A long-term study of the Perry Preschool Program found that children who did not attend the high-quality program were five times more likely to be chronic offenders by age 27 than children who did participate. By the age of 40, the kids who did not attend the program were seven times more likely to be arrested for possession of dangerous drugs, four times more likely to be arrested for drug felonies, and twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes than those who participated.
“Providing at-risk kids with access to high-quality early education can help make sure they start school ready to learn and reduces the likelihood that they’ll commit crimes later on,” Chief Parks said.
Assistant Chief Higgins, Chief Millard and Chief Parks said that they understand the challenges of deciding on budget priorities, but that support of high-quality early childhood programs pay off in the long run. The evidence showing the crime-reducing impact of high-quality early care and education for at-risk kids is compelling, and the investments save the public money. For example, a cost-benefit analysis of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program showed that it saved $16 for every $1 spent.
Despite the proven potential of high-quality early care and education, programs like Head Start, Early Head Start, and quality child care remain seriously underfunded, leaving many children without access. Nationally, Head Start only serves about half of the low-income three- and four-year-olds eligible for the program, while Early Head Start serves less than five percent of the eligible babies and toddlers. Fewer than one in seven eligible children in low-income families receives support for child care through the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
Pryor is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, the panel with spending authority over federally-funded early childhood development programs.
Assistant Chief Higgins, Chief Millard and Chief Parks called on Senator Mark Pryor to increase funding for Head Start/Early Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant both by $1 billion over 2010 levels in this year’s spending bill for the Departments of Education, Labor and Health and Human Services.
The police leaders are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors with 46 members in Arkansas and over 5,000 nationwide.
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