Ensuring all District 3- and 4-year-olds have access to pre-kindergarten programs would save the city millions of dollars, reduce crime and build a stronger work force, education advocates said Monday as they launched a campaign to increase funding for early childhood learning.
Preliminary findings of a report detailing the advantages of pre-kindergarten programs found the District could spend $58.5 million on improved and expanded pre-K and realize more than $81 million in benefits, according to Pre-K for All, an initiative of the National Black Child Development Institute.
The initiative’s leaders, including the D.C. Early Care and Education Administration, a division of the Department of Human Services, say they need $60 million from the District government to ensure all children are served in accredited pre-K programs.
“In a city that has a $5 billion budget, we can find the $60 million to do this,” Terry Golden, chairman of the Federal City Council and co-chair of the Pre-K for All campaign, said during an event at the National Press Club.
Through public and charter schools, Head Start and community-based programs, the District serves 3,025 3-year-olds and 4,453 4-year-olds. But 2,000 children have no access due to a lack of funding, said Carrie Thornhill, a School Board member and Golden’s campaign co-chair.
Clive Belfield, a Queens College professor who developed the study for Pre-K for All, said a quality pre-kindergarten program costs roughly $13,000 per child. But the benefits, he said, are greater in the long term than the price tag.
