Greene County Sheriff Fischer Says Pre-K Helps Kids Succeed in School, Cuts Crime
Ohio law enforcement leader points to research that shows early learning cuts crime
Fairborn, OHIO (April 29, 2011) Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer today visited the Creative World of Learning preschool to raise awareness about the social and economic benefits of quality pre-kindergarten. He discussed research showing that kids who attend high-quality early childhood education are more likely to graduate high school and less likely to commit crimes as adults.
“Children are our communities’ greatest asset,” Fischer said. “It is essential that they have access to quality early learning environments that help them develop the skills necessary to grow into productive, contributing citizens.”
Studies show that 90 percent of brain development occurs between the ages birth to five. A national poll of kindergarten teachers commissioned by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a nonprofit, anti-crime organization found that children entering kindergarten without pre-k experience were far less prepared to learn than those who had attended pre-k.
In that same poll, nine out of ten teachers agreed that “substantially more” children would succeed in school if all families had access to quality pre-kindergarten.
Fischer, a member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Ohio, said that high quality pre-k can also cut crime. He cited a study of Michigan’s High Scope/Perry Preschool program that found at-risk kids left out of the program were five times more likely to have become chronic lawbreakers than similar children who attended the program.
“By providing Ohio’s children with access to quality pre-k, we are preparing them to succeed in school and life, and I support it because the research shows that it will make our communities safer,” Fischer said.
More than 260 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violent crime survivors are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Ohio. It is part of a national organization of more than 5,000 law enforcement members. Cyndy Rees, state director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Ohio, participated in the event.
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