Roane Co. Sheriff Calls For Early Education Focus
Apr 21st 2009
HARRIMAN, TENN. -- Roane County Sheriff Jack Stockton held a news conference today to unveil a new report showing that greater investments in early childhood education are needed in Tennessee’s rural counties in order to increase high school graduation rates and prevent crime.
Early education programs boost learning, pre-literacy and social skills, helping children start kindergarten with a solid foundation. Stockton said that greater support for quality early care and education programs at the state and federal level would prevent kids from dropping out of school and cut crime in the long run.
“When you look at the people we arrest for crimes, it’s not a coincidence that 70 percent of them never finished high school. Giving kids opportunities to learn early will mean they are more likely to graduate and contribute to the economy, not the prison population,” Stockton said.
In Roane County, four in ten students drop out or fail to finish school on time. High school dropouts are three times more likely to be arrested and eight times more likely to be incarcerated.
A 40-year study of the Perry Preschool Program in Michigan found that children who did not attend the preschool were five times more likely to commit a violent crime by age 27 than children who did participate. Children who did attend were also 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school, compared to children from similar backgrounds who did not attend.
Children who do not receive quality early education are also significantly more likely to become teen parents, abuse illegal drugs and collect welfare. The investment in the high-quality preschool program cut crime, special education and other costs so much that it saved taxpayers $16 for every $1 invested.
“Law enforcement knows what happens when kids fall behind in school. The entire community suffers the consequences through crime,” Stockton said. “By acting early, we can make sure these kids don’t end up behind bars as adults.”
During the event, Stockton urged Rep. Lincoln Davis (TN-4), who represents Morgan County and most of Roane County, to work for new federal support for early education.
President Obama has pledged to devote $10 billion in new federal support for early childhood education and care programs. He specifically cited early childhood as a top educational priority in a recent address to a joint session of Congress and also outlined plans for a new early childhood education initiative in the administration’s 2010 budget.
The new proposal would provide grants to the states intended to increase access to high-quality early childhood development programs that promote academic success.
Rep. Davis is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for approving any federal expenditures for the new early childhood initiative. Stockton urged him to work with other House members to ensure that the 2010 appropriations legislation provides the funding needed to meet the commitment of $10 billion in new investments in early care and education this year.
Mark Rogers, state director for Fight CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS Tennessee, said that the governor and legislature have made strides to provide more children with early childhood education, but many families still can’t afford the cost of enrolling their children in quality programs.
“A year of pre-k can cost more than annual tuition at the University of Tennessee,” Rogers said. “With costs like that, many children miss out on these early learning opportunities, putting them at risk to fall behind in school, and our communities at risk for crime later on. To prevent school failure and to cut crime, we need to invest early.”
Visit http://www.fightcrime.org/reports/TNDropouts.pdf to read the report.
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