North Dakota Law Enforcement Back State Pre-K
Jan 22nd 2009
MANDAN, N.D. -- North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, Mandan Police Chief Dennis Bullinger and Burleigh County Sheriff Pat Heinert held a news conference today to rally support for the governor's proposal to create a state pre-kindergarten program. They cited research showing that early childhood education promotes school success, improves graduation rates and ultimately reduces crime.
To read the research report, click here.
The new proposal, supported by Gov. John Hoeven, would create a two-day-a-week pre-k program aimed at servicing North Dakota children. Research shows that children who benefit from high-quality early education are significantly more likely to graduate high school and avoid delinquent behavior and crime later on.
The law enforcement leaders released a report entitled "High-Quality Early Education: The Key to Crime Prevention and School Success in North Dakota." The report shows that new support for high-quality early education would lead to significant reductions in crime, drug abuse and juvenile violence in North Dakota. To read the report, click here.
"Not only are the benefits of high-quality early education transformative for children who participate, it also has substantial long-term benefits through reduced crime and violence in our communities," Bullinger said. "A commitment to early childhood education will ensure that we have better performing students, a stronger workforce and safer streets."
Stenehjem, Bullinger and Heinert are all members of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS, a national anti-crime organization that supports policies proven through research to prevent crime and violence.
Over a 40-year period, researchers studied children who attended a Michigan preschool together with similar children who did not attend the high-quality program. The resulting study found that children who benefited from the early education program were 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school than those who did not participate. The at-risk children left out of the program were also five times more likely to commit a violent crime by age 40.
"The benefits of the proposed pre-kindergarten program clearly outweigh the cost," Stenehjem said. "The bottom line here is that high-quality pre-k will help kids succeed in school and cut crime in the long run."
Another long-term study of the Child-Parent Centers found that at-risk children who did not benefit from the high-quality preschool program were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18. Children who miss out on pre-kindergarten are also more likely to become unwed parents, become dependent on welfare and abuse illegal drugs.
Currently in North Dakota, the federally-funded Head Start program and early childhood special education programs serve less than 30 percent of children from low and moderate-income families.
They also called on North Dakota's Congressional delegation to include funding for early education and childcare as part of federal efforts to revamp the ailing economy. President Obama pledged $10 billion in new funding for early childhood education during the 2008 presidential campaign.
The law enforcement leaders said that in addition to the long-term economic benefits of reduced crime and welfare and improved graduation rates, new support for early education and care would bring short-term relief to families struggling to meet the cost of daycare and boost the economy by creating jobs.
"Let's not drop the ball on America's youngest generation. If our state and national policymakers advance substantial increases in early childhood education, we can give these kids a helping hand now, not a hand out later," Heinert said.
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FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS is a bipartisan, anti-crime organization led by more than 4,500 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders and crime survivors, including 28 in North Dakota.
