Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 27. April 2012 02:07
On April 26, 2012, Education Week reported online that Illinois law enforcement officials called on State legislators to increase spending for preschools. The Cook County Sheriff, a State prosecutor, and three police chiefs warned that if Illinois does not “beef up spending for preschools, the State will need far more money to fight and prosecute crime for years to come.” They pointed to a study that concluded that the $55 million the State saved in cutting funding for preschools will ultimately cost taxpayers $200 million in increased criminal, social service, and educational costs. One police chief stated that “Cutting preschool programs puts us on a slippery slope towards more school drop outs, and more crime and more violence.” The officials urged Illinois lawmakers to restore part of the preschool cuts made over the last three years and to increase funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant.
