Pueblo, CO Law Enforcement: Early Education Cuts Crime
Mar 4th 2009
PUEBLO, COLO. -- Pueblo Police Chief Jim Billings, Jr., Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor and Colorado Springs Deputy Police Chief Ron Gibson held a news conference Wednesday to release a new report that links the lack of high-quality early education with crime in Colorado.
"Early education gives kids the foundation they need for success in school," Billings said. "This research shows that children who receive quality early education have a better chance of graduating high school, getting a good paying job and, most importantly, not ending up in jail."
A long-term study of Chicago's Child-Parent Centers, federally-funded preschool programs that have served over 100,000 children since 1967, showed that at-risk kids who did not attend were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18. They were also significantly more likely to repeat grades, drop out of school and collect welfare. The Child-Parent Centers cut crime, special education and other costs so effectively that it saved taxpayers $10 for every $1 invested.
Unfortunately, most Colorado kids can't attend such programs because of a lack of funding. In the 2006-2007 school year, 88 percent of Colorado's 3-year-olds and 71 percent of 4-year-olds were not enrolled in Head Start, state-funded pre-kindergarten, or a special education preschool program.
"Once a crime is committed, the damage is done. If we have a chance to take proactive steps to prevent violent crime, it is our duty as law enforcement to take it. We must support programs that not only educate our kids, but also protect our communities. These types of programs do both," Taylor said.
President Obama has pledged to devote $10-billion in new federal support for early childhood education and care programs. He specifically cited early childhood as a top educational priority in his recent address to a join session of Congress and also outlined plans for a new early childhood initiative in the administration's 2010 budget. The new proposal would provide grants to the states in order to improve the quality of early childhood development programs that promote academic success.
The law enforcement leaders represent Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national anti-crime organization of nearly 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors, including 49 in the state of Colorado.
The law enforcement officials urged Rep. John Salazar, a House Appropriations Committee member, and the rest of Colorado's Congressional delegation to support substantial increases in early childhood investments in the 2010 budget. They also commended Gov. Bill Ritter, himself a former member of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS, and the legislature for working to expand and improve Colorado's state-funded preschool system.
The report shows that greater investment in early childhood programs will also promote economic development in Colorado both in the short- and long-term, the law enforcement leaders said, since funding for early education and care primarily supports staff salary and alleviates crippling childcare expenses for working families.
To read a copy of the report, click here.
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