Chatham County Sheriff Al St Lawrence Thursday morning at the county’s jail announced his support for an initiative to use taxpayer money to help fund early childhood education programs for those who otherwise couldn’t afford it.
Reaching children early with the message of education’s importance, St Lawrence said, is critical to provide them a path toward success and away from crime.
“If we don’t start getting these kids (educated) at a real young age, then by the time they’re 10 (or) 12 we’ve lost the battle,” the sheriff said. “We need to start earlier than that. Clearly, as early as we can — preschool — and go from there.”
St Lawrence, who has served as Chatham County’s sheriff for more than two decades and has been involved in law enforcement in the county since 1959, spoke during a press conference at which he helped release a report titled, “I’m the Guy You Pay Later.”
The report is authored by advocacy organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, which is made up of more than 5,000 law enforcement officials nationwide. It provides information about a long-term study on a preschool program offered to low- and moderate-income families in Chicago and how similar programs could be successful in Georgia, where more than 55 percent of prisoners do not have a high school diploma or GED.
The study found those who participated in preschool programs at Chicago’s Child-Parent Centers were 20 percent less likely to be arrested for a felony or incarcerated as young adults.
via Chatham Sheriff: Invest in early education, lower incarceration costs | savannahnow.com.
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