Study Suggests Preschool Funding Cuts Will Costs States More in Long Run 

A group of Illinois law enforcement leaders spoke out against cuts to state preschool funding, claiming cutting early education funding now will cost more in crime down the line.

During a conference call with members of the media Thursday, members of “Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois” pointed to new research that shows a link between cuts to preschool funding and crime:

“… cutting preschool for 17,600 children will cost Illinois taxpayers $200 million over the children’s lifetimes, due to increased criminal, educational, and social services costs for at-risk children denied preschool. This lifetime future cost of $200 million from denying preschool for the 17,600 children who have been cut is more than three times greater than the $55 million we save now.”

“The research speaks for itself. We can either invest in preschool classrooms now and prevent crime, or wind up spending more on prison cells and cleaning up after tragedies,” Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said. “Early childhood education is one of the best deals around, and it would be a real mistake to lose sight of that. 

Question: Do you believe states should weigh the long term savings against the short term when it comes to preschool cuts?