Charlotte Area Law Enforcement Urge Investment in Kids
Mar 10th 2009
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe and Rock Hill, S.C. Police Chief John H. Gregory III held a news conference Tuesday, urging increased federal support for early childhood care and education in order to prevent future crime.
Monroe and Gregory released a new report showing that early education programs dramatically reduce juvenile crime. The police chiefs said that investing in quality early childhood education actually saves taxpayer dollars by reducing crime, welfare and other costs to the public.
"When you compare the cost of early education with the expense of another career criminal, it's a no-brainer," Monroe said. "If we invest when kids are in the high chair, we can save ourselves the grief and financial cost of violent crime."
Long-term studies of high-quality preschools have shown that they significantly reduce criminal activity among at-risk children. By age 40, children who attended a Michigan preschool together were 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school than those who did not participate. The at-risk children left out of the program were five times more likely to commit a violent crime by age 27.
Children who lack early learning experiences are also more likely to abuse illegal drugs, drop out of school and be unemployed. By reducing costly social services and crime, quality early education programs have been proven to save the public as much as $16 for every $1 invested.
"In law enforcement, we have a responsibility to protect the public from crime. By expanding early education programs, we have an opportunity to get kids on track to success at an early age. If we do that, we'll be taking a proactive step to keep our communities safe," Gregory said.
Monroe and Gregory called on their representatives in Congress to support for increases in early childhood investments in the 2010 budget. President Obama has pledged $10 billion in new federal support for early education and care and specifically outlined plans for a new early childhood development initiative.
The law enforcement leaders applauded the work of House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (SC-5) who recently held a hearing to explore new opportunities to invest in early childhood programs at the federal level.
The police chiefs represent FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS, an anti-crime organization of 5,000 chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors, including 189 in the Carolinas, who advocate for policies proven through research to prevent crime and violence.
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