Greater Dallas Law Enforcement: “Pre-K Cuts Crime”
Mar 10th 2009
ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- Local police chiefs sounded a call for Texas lawmakers to make substantial improvements to the state's pre-kindergarten program, citing research showing that the earlier kids get access to quality educational opportunities, the safer their communities will be.
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At a news conference at Burgin Elementary School today, Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman, Carrollton Police Chief David James, Chief Deputy Joseph Costa of the Dallas County Sherriff's Department and Dallas Assistant Police Chief Charlie Cato released a report showing that high-quality early childhood education increases school success, prevents crime and violence and saves taxpayer dollars.
"The best defense against crime is a smart offense, and we can accomplish that by providing quality early childhood education," Bowman said. "An early start to learning not only gets kids ready for school, it also dramatically reduces the odds that they will end up behind bars. Simply put: pre-k cuts crime."
Long-term studies of high-quality preschools have shown that they significantly reduce later crime among at-risk children. In a landmark 40-year study, researchers found that children who did not attend a high-quality Michigan preschool were five times more likely to become chronic offenders by age 27 than similar children who did participate in the program. The at-risk kids who did attend were also 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school than those who did not participate.
Children who lack early learning experiences are also more likely to abuse illegal drugs and become dependent on welfare. High-quality early education significantly reduces short-term costs to school systems by reducing the number of children who require special education or who repeat grades. A study of Chicago's Child-Parent-Centers showed that it cut crime, special education and welfare costs so effectively that it saved the public $10 for every single dollar invested.
The bipartisan proposal, S.B. 21 and H.B. 130, currently pending in both the Texas House and Senate, would make several key improvements to the quality of the state's pre-kindergarten system-specifically decreasing class size, enhancing pre-literacy curriculum and extending the program from a half-day to a full-day.
"Law enforcement is supporting this proposal to strengthen early education in our state because we know that it will ensure that more kids finish high school and contribute to our economy, instead of the prison population," Bowman said.
Each of these reforms will significantly increase the quality of the state's pre-kindergarten program and improve academic performance among children who attend. Research shows that, by the end of kindergarten, at-risk children who attended full-day pre-k had higher verbal and math test scores than similar children who attended half-day classes.
The police chiefs represent FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS, an anti-crime organization of 5,000 chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors, including 180 in the Lone Star State, who advocate for policies proven through research to prevent crime and violence.
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