Children enrolled in quality pre-school programs are more likely to graduate from high school, hold down jobs and less likely to be on welfare or end up in jail, according to a report released on Monday.
The report, by the advocacy group Legal Momentum and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Workplace Center, analyzed recent studies on the economic and other impact of good early education.
“Research shows that quality early care and education programs are worthy of taxpayer investment because they pay significant returns in both the short- and long-term,” said Leslie Calman, director of the New York-based Legal Momentum’s Family Initiative.
“The public provides significant financial incentives and tax breaks to other industries. Why not early care and education,” she asked.
The report cited a study began 40 years ago that looked at the economic impact of good pre-schooling on 123 low-income African American children who were assessed to be at high risk of school failure. One half of the group got high-quality early education and the other did not.
The group that received quality education — by well trained teachers and meeting childhood educational standards — was more likely to complete school, have better jobs, a higher income, own homes and less likely to be on welfare or turn to crime, said the report.
“Children who get a good start are less likely to need expensive special education classes and more likely to graduate,” said Calman in a conference call with reporters to announce the report.
Estimated savings
The report estimated every dollar invested in high quality child care, with low student-teacher ratio and qualified staff, as well as early education saved taxpayers as much as $13 later on in public education, criminal justice and welfare costs over the next few decades as well as increased tax collections in the long term.
Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut said she planned to ask the Government Accountability Office, the research arm of Congress, to do a national report on the economic impact of early care and education.
“Our country does not have a long term strategy. We have failed to make it (early childhood education) a priority,” said DeLauro.
The National Child Care Association estimated the preschool industry employed about 900,000 people as licensed providers and teachers with another 2 million working as “family, friend and neighbor” child care providers, said the report.
A conservative calculation of the licensed child care’s direct revenue was $43 billion in 2002, the report added.
“While virtually every state has maintained economic development funding at high levels in order to aid job growth, state after state has made cutbacks in child care and early education,” said the report.
Average wage: $17,000
Calman said early childhood teachers earned an average wage of about $17,000 a year and only a third had health insurance.
“It’s unconscionable and counterproductive,” said Calman of the salaries paid to people teaching young children.
Children living above the poverty line were at risk as well as poor children of not getting good pre-school education and DeLauro said middle class families were getting less assistance than ever for early childhood programs.
“Child care is an investment, it’s not a feel-good program,” she added.
