Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

There are many documented reasons why investing in early education is not just prudent, but provides the highest return on investment for dollars spent. Yet another compelling reason is this: investing in kids fights crime. In a recent report from the Council for a Strong America, the following stood out as particularly relevant to our goal at SVP Portland:

“High-quality pre-K has been linked, long-term, to less crime and fewer prisoners. The CPC [Child-Parent Centers] program has served over 100,000 three- and four-year-olds since 1967. Researchers followed a sample of participants up until age 28, and found that children who did not participate were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18. By age 24, the people served by the CPC were 20 percent less likely to have served time in a jail or prison.”

While Oregon has invested extensively in early childhood programs over the past several years, inequities to access remain, particularly for children of color and those from rural areas. This is why SVP Portland chose and remains committed to ensuring that children have access to high-quality, culturally-relevant early learning experiences. Our support of this goal provides the earliest and most effective opportunity to increase the likelihood of positive life trajectories for our kids.