Law Enforcement Leaders in the Capital District Urge School Officials to Apply for Millions Available for Pre-K Programs That Are Proven to Prevent Future Crime and Save Taxpayers Money
Aug 14th 2007
Albany, Aug. 14 - Executive Director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police John Grebert, Albany City Police Chief James Tuffey, Rotterdam Police Chief James Hamilton and Captain John Cooney and Officer Wade of the Troy Police Department visited the Children's Place, an early education center, today to urge school officials to apply for pre-Kindergarten grants before the application deadline passes. While there, the law enforcement leaders sat down with a class of pre-kindergarten age child and read them the story, "Officer Buckle and Gloria."
Chief Tuffey, Mr. Grebert, Chief Hamilton and Captain Cooney are all members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York, a bipartisan anti-crime organization of 300-plus police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys, other law enforcement leaders and violence survivors. It is part of a national organization of more than 3,000 law enforcement members. Meredith Wiley, state director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York, joined the members during their visit.
Chief Tuffey, Mr. Grebert and Captain Cooney said high quality pre-kindergarten not only prepares children to succeed in school, it also prevents crime, saves New York state residents taxpayers money and is good for the economy.
Governor Spitzer and the Legislature added a total of $146 million for preschool in this year's budget in the first year of an intended multi-year expansion. Spitzer has made providing preschool to all four-year-olds within four years a priority. The money has already been allocated on a district-by district basis, but each school district must apply for the funds. Grebert, Tuffey and Cooney along with Rotterdam Chief of Police, James Hamilton, urged each school district to apply for the new money that has been allocated on a district-by-district basis for this year.
Grebert said a long-term study of the High/Scope Perry Preschool in Michigan found that at-risk kids excluded from the program were five times more likely to grow up to become chronic lawbreakers than those who attended the program.
By age 40, those left out of the Perry Preschool Program were twice as likely to have been arrested for violent crimes, four times more likely to have been arrested for drug felonies, and seven times more likely to have been arrested for possession of drugs than those who attended the program.
"Pre-kindergarten is an investment in crime prevention. Ensuring that kids have a seat in a pre-k classroom, helps prevent them from needing a seat in the courtroom," Grebert said. "Keeping our communities safe begins in the classroom - the ABC's of crime prevention begins with the 1,2,3's."
Cooney said although the money has been specifically allocated to several school districts in the Albany area, the funds would go to waste unless the districts apply for them and that law enforcement officials are willing to work with school officials to help eligible school districts take full advantage of the funds.
"This is absolutely a no-brainer. We know that pre-k gets our kids on the right track and prevents crime. We also know that when we prevent crime, we save tax dollars. The money is here to get our kids into pre-k programs, now all we have to do is take advantage of it," Cooney said.
Tuffey said he found the situation ironic, since for years, law enforcement leaders have fought
to prevent budget cuts to pre-K and begged for increased funding and now that there is new money for pre-K programs, there is a danger school officials won't apply for it.
According to Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York State Director, Meredith Wiley, " Over 60 percent of the school districts in Capital District have yet to apply for pre-k funds that have already been allocated, leaving nearly $3 million on the table that could otherwise help get hundreds of kids on track for school success."
"We know that there will be challenges as we work to implement pre-K, but we also know what is at stake," said Tuffey. "A four-year-old can't wait. The opportunity missed here for those kids who could have been in pre-K will not come again. It's a loss for them and, in the long run, an even bigger loss for us and our communities."
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York has more than 300 police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys, other law enforcement leaders, and violence survivors as members. It is part of the national Fight Crime: Invest in Kids organization of more than 3,000 law enforcement members.
