Early childhood education pays off
Parents know that the best way to ensure a child’s future is to give him or her a good education. But what most parents may not know is that it’s preschool that can make a major difference in a child’s life.
A study published in the online journal of Science found that of the 950 Chicago children who participated in the study, those who went to preschool were 28 percent less likely to have drug or alcohol problems when they were older.
But just attending preschool isn’t enough, according to Arthur Reynolds, director of the study.
Reynolds told Time magazine that “Just funding preschool doesn’t mean it’s going to be effective.”
While that may be true, without funding, no preschools effective or ineffective could serve children.
Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart agrees that early childhood education is crucial. Especially when it comes to preventing crime later in life.
“You take money out of programs like these you will see a spike in crime,” Dart said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
