Richland County Sheriff Backs Early Education
Feb 12th 2009
WASHINGTON -- In a hearing at the U.S. Capitol today, Sheriff Leon Lott of Richland County, S.C. testified in favor of increased federal funding of early childhood education programs proven to cut juvenile crime.
In a hearing entitled, "Building a Foundation for Families: Fighting Hunger, Investing in Children," he told House Budget Committee Chair Rep. John Spratt (SC-5) and members of the panel that investments in early childhood education would yield excellent long-term returns through reduced crime and a stronger workforce.
"Investing in quality education and care of young children is the right thing to do," Lott said. "By getting kids off to the right start, we can cut crime, improve school performance and save taxpayer dollars."
Long-term research studies have shown that high-quality early education programs are highly cost-effective because they improve school success and reduce crime and other costly public services.
A 40 year study of the Perry Preschool Program found that children who were left out of the high-quality program were twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes, four times more likely to be arrested for drug felonies, and seven times more likely to be arrested for possession of dangerous drugs than those who attended the program. The study found that providing at-risk children with early education saved the public $16 dollars for every $1 invested.
Enrolling children in quality early learning programs is one of the most successful strategies known to close the achievement gap, improve graduation rates and boost the chances that at-risk children will get involved in crime.
Nationally, the federally funded pre-kindergarten program Head Start serves only half of the poor three-and four-year-olds eligible for the program, while Early Head Start serves less than five percent of eligible babies and toddlers. Many quality state pre-kindergarten programs also remain underfunded or require improvements in quality.
Lott spoke from his own experience in law enforcement about the underlying connection between early childhood and later criminal activity.
The sheriff recently was recently the master of ceremonies in a pageant for South Carolina's state prison for juvenile girls. The seven young women participating, ages 15 to 17, had charges ranging from armed robbery to drug possession.
Six of the seven girls reported abuse, and six were from single parent families, Lott said. None of the girls attended school when they were arrested. None benefited from quality early education.
"Clearly, these problems start early on," Lott said. "For me, this absolutely underscores the need to provide learning opportunities for children at an early age."
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