Long Island Law Enforcement Leaders Urge School Officials to Apply for Millions Available for Pre-K Programs That Are Proven to Prevent Future Crime and Save Taxpayers Money
Aug 21st 2007
Long Island, Aug. 21- Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Hempstead Police Chief Joseph Wing and Lake Success Police Chief William Lang visited Rainbow Chimes, an early education center in Huntington 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."
DA Rice, Chief Wing and Chief Lang 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.
DA Rice, Chief Wing and Chief Lang 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. Rice, Wing and Lang urged each school district to apply for the new money that has been allocated on a district-by-district basis for this year. They also called on the State Education Department, who administers the new pre-k funds, to better assist the localities in utilizing the dollars with added technical support and planning resources.
Rice 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.
"When it comes to preventing crime, we all know that the early years matter," Rice said. "Every effort should be made to ensure that this year's four-year-olds will enter kindergarten next year with the social and learning skills they need to succeed."
DA Rice 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.
"We realize that there are big challenges in getting programs up and running for this school year; but we also know what is at stake here. A four-year-old can't wait. I urge our community leaders and schools to do whatever it takes to use the money that is currently available because a four-year-old can't wait and the opportunity lost for this year's preschoolers won't come again," Rice said.
Wing 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, " many school districts across Long Island have yet to apply for pre-k funds that have already been allocated, leaving over $14 million on the table that could otherwise help get hundreds of kids in Suffolk and Nassau Counties on track for school success and help prevent crime in the along run."
"High quality pre-school provides kids with the building blocks they need to become strong lifelong learners," Wing said. It gives kids who are coming from challenging neighborhoods and environments the leg up they need to start school on an equal footing with those more fortunate kids who have started life with more social and economic advantages."
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.
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