OR Head Start - Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

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preventing future crimes.What is the cost to Oregon in future crimes fornot providing Head Start for all eligiblechildren?Using the best research evidence available, wecan estimate the crime prevention potential ofproviding high-quality Head Start to all ofOregon’s eligible children currently notreceiving the program. Most children in HeadStart, like most children in general, do notbecome criminals. However, one study usingnational data and tracking children intoadulthood shows that approximately one in tenof the children with family incomes below thefederal poverty guidelines will be charged witha crime later in life. 44Approximately 16,000 children in Oregon wereeligible for Head Start in 2005. Based on onenational study on the proportion of Head Starteligible children who go on to be booked orcharged with a crime, we can expect thatapproximately 1,600 of these children – 10percent of the 16,000 children eligible for HeadStart — are likely to be charged with a crime. 45The rest will be law-abiding citizens.How much of a difference can Head Start makein preventing future crime?As described earlier in this report, onelongitudinal study using national datademonstrated that children who attendedHead Start were 8.5 percent less likely to becharged with a crime as youth or adults thanwere their siblings who did not attend HeadStart but attended other preschool programsinstead. 46 So even compared to Head-Starteligiblechildren who attended anotherpreschool program, children who attendedHead Start had a lower rate of future criminalbehavior. 47While Head Start’s 8.5 percent reduction infuture criminals is a compellingaccomplishment, we have evidence that thehighest-quality early childhood programs canachieve even greater reductions in future crime.One such program, the Chicago Child-ParentCenters (CPC), has been shown to cut overallcrime among juveniles by one-third (32.6percent). 48 The Chicago Child-Parent Center isa large-scale early intervention that providescomprehensive educational and family-supportservices to economically disadvantagedchildren. The CPC program is the secondoldestfederally funded preschool program inthe U.S. and is among the highest quality earlychildhood programs available. For example,every CPC program lead teacher has aBachelor’s degree. With improvements to HeadStart program quality, especially increases inthe number of teachers with four-year degrees,Head Start could achieve even higher rates ofcrime prevention, similar to the Chicago CPCprogram.Therefore, we can expect that providing highqualityHead Start to all eligible children inOregon can reduce the number of Head Startgraduates who go on to be criminals by at least8.5 percent and up to as much as one-third.Head Start could prevent as many as 500 at-riskchildren in Oregon from becoming criminalseach year.Because these are rough estimates, we will useballpark numbers to illustrate our points. (Seeappendix A for specific numbers).Research shows that 8.5 percent of these 1,600potential criminals in Oregon could beprevented from becoming criminals if they allreceived Head Start. That is approximately 140children prevented from becoming criminalseach year. (About two-thirds of them arealready receiving Head Start, so Oregon isalready reaping part of this unrecognizedreduction in crime each year.)If Head Start were improved in quality to thelevel of the Chicago Child-Parent Centersprograms – including quality improvements in8 FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS OREGON
pending reauthorization legislation – aboutone-third (32.6 percent) of those 1,600 childrencould be steered away from crime, orapproximately 500 children each year.Preventing 500 future criminals is fairlyimpressive; but we should consider that thereductions in the number of criminals adds upover time and some criminals are very active:• Preventing 500 criminals is a per-yearestimate; the reduction in futurecriminals from one Head Start schoolyear will be multiplied many times overfor each graduating class of childrenprovided the highest-quality Head Startexperience.• Many of those criminals commit onlyone, fairly minor crime. But others go onto commit multiple crimes over theirlifetime, including violent felonies.Therefore, a decrease in the number offuture criminals will cut an even greaternumber of future crimes.The federal government must increase itsinvestment in Oregon’s high-quality HeadStart for all eligible at-risk children. In doingso, Oregon can count on not only improvingthe number of children who succeed in schoolbut also making a substantial reduction in the180,750 total crimes and 10,520 violent crimesthat happen every year in the state. 49Law Enforcement Backs Investment inQuality Early Care and EducationProgramsWhen law enforcement leaders nationwidewere surveyed by the independent polling firmMason-Dixon Polling and Research, anoverwhelming 71 percent chose,“more afterschoolprograms and educational child careprograms”as the most effective strategy forpreventing youth violence and crime. 50 TheOregon Association Chiefs of Police, theOregon State Sheriff’s Association, and theHead Start Cuts Crime in OregonOregon District Attorney’s Association haveendorsed investments in quality earlychildhood care and education programs, ashave national law enforcement organizationssuch as the Fraternal Order of Police and theNational District Attorneys Association. 51 It istime to ensure that more children have accessto educational early childhood programs likeHead Start that are proven to save money andcut crime.ConclusionOver 10,000 violent crimes are committed inOregon every year. More than 30,000 juvenilesare arrested in Oregon annually. Despite thebest efforts from law enforcement, thesepatterns will continue, unless we take seriousmeasures before – not after – such tragediesoccur.It’s time to invest in what works to preventcrime. The research evidence is clear: highqualityearly education programs like HeadStart are crucial to reducing crime. And withquality improvements, Head Start can makeeven more dramatic cuts in future crime.Providing high-quality Head Start to all eligiblechildren in Oregon can prevent as many as 500at-risk children each year from becomingcriminals.That is why the members of FIGHT CRIME:INVEST IN KIDS OREGON are calling on Oregon’selected leaders to ensure that Head Startservices are available to all eligible children andthat program quality is enhanced by increasingHead Start teacher qualifications and providingincreased compensation to retain highlyqualifiedteachers.9
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