Iowa Law Enforcement Leaders Say Quality Early Learning Programs Reduce Violent Crime, Save Millions in Special Education Costs

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Iowa Law Enforcement Leaders Say Quality Early Learning Programs Reduce Violent Crime, Save Millions in Special Education Costs

Sep 1st 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2010
Contact: Mike Kiernan, mkiernan@fightcrime.org
Cell: 202-412-7579, Office: 202-464-7016

DES MOINES, IOWA - (September 1, 2010) Local law enforcement leaders today released a research report showing that investing more in voluntary high-quality pre-kindergarten programs not only reduces crime over the long run but also saves millions of dollars in Iowa's education budget in the short term. The report shows that investments in pre-k programs can reduce the need for special education placements and other K-12 education expenses when pre-k children advance to later grades.

At a press conference West Des Moines Police Chief Jack O'Donnell, Polk County Sheriff William McCarthy and Polk County Attorney John Sarcone called on the state's Congressional delegation, including Sen. Tom Harkin, to press for a shift from a K-through-12 education model to a pre-k through-12 approach, as Congress considers reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, called the No Child Left Behind Act in its last renewal.

Citing the many benefits of pre-k programs, the law enforcement leaders urged Sen. Harkin to include provisions in the new legislation offering incentives to states to increase access to high quality pre-kindergarten. Sen. Harkin is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has begun drafting the legislation.

In addition, the law enforcement leaders thanked Sen. Harkin, who also chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that provides funding for education, for supporting increased investments in current early care and education programs as well as supporting the creation of the new Early Learning Challenge Fund designed to help states improve the quality of current programs. They urged Senator Harkin to work to ensure that these funds are enacted this year.

"Senator Harkin has a unique opportunity to make a difference in the education of millions of young children nationwide," said Polk County Attorney John Sarcone. "We commend Sen. Harkin for recognizing the value of quality early learning programs and making them a top priority. The research is clear. These programs cut crime, save millions of dollars for Iowa's taxpayers and enable more children to get the right start in life."

The law enforcement leaders also called on state lawmakers to hold the line against cuts in state-funded pre-k programs.

The report concludes that investments in high-quality pre-kindergarten programs in Iowa can:

Save up to $100 million in K-through-12 education costs by lowering the number of children requiring special education services due to behavioral problems and developmental delays;
Save an additional $100 million in education costs by reducing the need for children to repeat grades and by helping kids learn more effectively;
Reduce violent crime and save taxpayers millions of dollars more by reducing costs for corrections, welfare and other government-funded services.

"Our report shows that enrolling kids in high-quality pre-kindergarten programs helps them get a strong start to their schooling," said West Des Moines Police Chief Jack O'Donnell. "As a veteran police officer, I know first-hand that giving low-income, at-risk children a good early start in life can result in fewer of these children becoming involved in crime later in life - which is a huge benefit to every taxpayer in Iowa. We know that over the long term the savings can total up to $16 for every $1 spent on quality pre-k."

Among several studies cited in the report is a long-term study of Michigan's Perry Preschool that followed two groups of at-risk, low-income 3- and 4-year-olds, beginning in 1962. One group attended the Perry Preschool Program. The other did not. The study found that children who did not attend the high-quality program were five times more likely to be chronic offenders than children who did participate. By age 40, the kids who did not attend the program were twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes than those who participated.

The Perry preschool program also helped significantly reduce the need for special education. Children who attended the Perry program were 43 percent less likely to be placed in special education during their K-12 years.

Sheriff William McCarthy noted that quality pre-kindergarten programs help build core learning and social skills among at-risk children at an early age. As a result, fewer children who participated in quality pre-k programs required special education in later years.

"Of course, we wholeheartedly support special education programs, and we understand that many children have special educational needs, such as a hearing impairment or a learning disability, that will not change as a result of high-quality pre-k," said McCarthy. "However, our report shows that for children with developmental delays or behavior problems, high-quality pre-k programs can make a meaningful difference in reducing the need for special education during the K-12 years and cutting special education costs by as much as ten percent."

While the report noted that Iowa had taken steps to improve and expand pre-k, only 11 percent of all Iowa three-year olds and 39 percent of all four-year-olds are served by publicly funded early education programs including pre-k.

Iowa spends nearly $1 billion a year on special education services, but invests only about $56 million a year in state-funded half-day pre-kindergarten programs, according to the report. The new analysis shows that if the state and federal government could dedicate $250 million to provide high-quality full-day pre-kindergarten for all the families of four-year-olds seeking to enter pre-k, the state could save as much as $100 million in special education costs and an additional $100 million in savings from reductions in grade retention and kids learning more effectively. As a result, the total K-12 education savings could reach up to $200 million a year.

The law enforcement leaders also noted that increasing investments in high-quality pre-kindergarten can add up to a total return on investment of as much as $16 per dollar spent over the long-term. These savings largely come from reduced crime, corrections as well as the educational savings.

"Everything we do as law enforcement officials has to be in the best interests of public safety," said Sarcone. "Investing in high-quality early education will not only reduce crime, it will save taxpayer dollars and help make sure that more kids are ready to succeed in school."

West Des Moines Police Chief Jack O'Donnell, Polk County Sheriff William McCarthy and Polk County Attorney John Sarcone are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, attorneys general and violence survivors, with 158 members in Iowa and over 5,000 members nationwide.

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