Memphis Law Enforcement Leaders Urge Legislators to Expand Pre-K Programs

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE(August 26, 2010) Local law enforcement leaders today released a research report showing that investing more in voluntary high-quality pre-kindergarten programs not only reduces crime over the long run but also saves millions of dollars in the states education budget in the short term. The report says that investments in pre-k programs can reduce the need for special education placements and other K-12 education expenses when pre-k children advance to later grades.

At a press conference Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons and Sheriff Mark Luttrell called on the states Congressional delegation, including Sen. Lamar Alexander, to press for a shift from a K-through-12 education model to a pre-k through-12 approach, including incentives for states to increase access to high-quality pre-kindergarten, as Congress considers reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known as the No Child Left Behind Act since its last renewal.  Senator Alexander is a member of the education committee that is drafting the legislation.

Through my years of work in investigating and prosecuting crimes, I know first hand that giving low-income, at-risk children a good early start in life can result in fewer of these children becoming involved in crime later in life, said Attorney General Gibbons. Investing in pre-k will cut crime in the long run, and deliver a bonus to Tennessees state education budget by reducing the need for special education.

The law enforcement leaders also called on state lawmakers to hold the line against cuts in state-funded pre-k programs. Tennessee currently invests some $83 million in state funds to provide Pre-K to over 18,000 at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds.

The report concludes that investments in voluntary high-quality pre-kindergarten programs in (the state) can:

• Save up to $80 million in K-through-12 education costs by lowering the number of children requiring special education services due to behavioral problems and developmental delays;
• Save an additional $80 million in education costs by reducing the need for children to repeat grades and by helping kids learn more effectively;
• Reduce violent crime and save taxpayers millions of dollars more by reducing costs for corrections, welfare and other government-funded services.

Special education is necessary, but expensive, said Sheriff Luttrell. By investing in pre-k and getting more kids ready to start school, we can reduce the number of children who require extra educational services.

Among several studies cited in the report is a long-term study of Michigans Perry Preschool that followed two groups of at-risk, low-income 3- and 4-year-olds, beginning in 1962.  One group attended the Perry Preschool Program. The other did not. The study found that children who did not attend the high-quality program were five times more likely to be chronic offenders than children who did participate. By age 40, the kids who did not attend the program were twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes than those who participated.

The Perry preschool program also helped significantly reduce the need for special education. Children who attended the Perry program were 43 percent less likely to be placed in special education during their K-12 years.  Sheriff Luttrell noted that quality pre-kindergarten programs help build core learning and social skills among at-risk children at an early age. The result: fewer children who participate in quality pre-k programs require special education in later years.

Providing these children with quality education can help them develop the core learning skills they need to succeed in school, said Sheriff Luttrell.

While the report noted that Tennessee had taken steps to improve and expand pre-k, only 9 percent of all Tennessee three-year olds and 35 percent of all four-year-olds are served by publicly funded early education programs including pre-k.

Tennessee spends $800 million a year on special education services, but invests only about $83 million a year in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs, according to the report. The new analysis shows that if the state and federal government could dedicate $480 million to provide high-quality full-day pre-kindergarten for all the families of four-year-olds seeking to enter pre-k, the state could save as much as $80 million in special education costs and an additional $80 million in savings from reductions in grade retention and kids learning more effectively. As a result, the total K-12 education savings could reach $160 million a year.

The law enforcement leaders also noted that increasing investments in high-quality pre-kindergarten can add up to a total return on investment of as much as $16 per dollar spent over the long-term. These savings largely come from reduced crime, corrections as well as the educational savings.

Everything law enforcement officials do has to be in the best interests of public safety, said Fight Crime State Director Mark Rogers. Investing in high-quality early education not only will reduce crime, but it will also save taxpayer dollars and help make sure that more kids are ready to succeed in school.

Sheriff Luttrell and General Gibbons are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, attorneys general and violence survivors, with 144 members in Tennessee and over 5,000 members nationwide.

 

###