DelCo Times: Pa. prisons boss: Early childhood education decreases crime

DelCo Times: Pa. prisons boss: Early childhood education decreases crime
May 26, 2017 by Kathleen E. Carey

CHESTER >> Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary John Wetzel stood before the State Correctional Institute at Chester Friday to stress the importance of investing in quality early childhood education to decrease incarceration and increase the number of productive citizens in society.

“It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,” he said, quoting Frederick Douglass, before addressing statistics provided in a report entitled “Pre-K Key to Cutting Pennsylvania Prison Costs and Boosting School Success.”

The report, issued by the anti-crime organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, surveyed almost 600 inmates into the Pennsylvania prison system in April. It showed a clear link between lack of education and parental support and propensity towards crime.

Darby Township Police Chief Regina Price was among the law enforcement and elected officials at the event.

“I know from years of experience that we can’t simply arrest, prosecute and incarcerate our way out of … problems,” she said. “We have to implement strategies to keep people from turning to crime in the first place. Education needs to be a focal point of that strategy.”

She quoted the report in citing 40 percent of state prison inmates have not graduated from high school. On the national level, it’s 70 percent, she added.

“We need our youth to be educated not incarcerated and that process starts early,” Price said.

Delaware County Sheriff Mary Fall Hopper added that many children from low-income families are behind pre-literacy and math skills by the time they enter kindergarten.

“We know from research and from our experience that a key indicator whether or not a person will engage in criminal activity is whether they have completed high school,” she said.

Hopper said 113,000 children in Pennsylvania are eligible for Pre-K Counts and Head Start programs but don’t have access to those because of limits in funding.

Delaware County Deputy District Attorney Michael Galantino provided the cost figures.

“We’ve all heard the saying, ‘Crime doesn’t pay’ but like it or not, we all do pay for crime,” he said. “Pennsylvania’s still spending nearly $3.2 billion annually by incarcerating adults. That’s why we have to take every step we can to reduce crime. High quality early education programs make a difference in setting at risk kids in a positive direction from the start.”

Galantino cited a cost benefit analysis that determined investment in these early childhood programs would net a profit of more than $29,000 for every child served.

“Applying this figure to the 8,400 additional children that would be served under Gov. (Tom) Wolf’s Pre-K proposal means our state could reap a return of nearly $250 million over the lifetime of these at-risk children,” he said. “We’ve got a choice today and it boils down to dollars and common sense. If we invest in our kids today, we’ll be better able to maintain balanced budgets instead of devoting billions to pay for crime and corrections in the years to come.”

However, state Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161 of Swarthmore, presented an issue.

“I’m concerned,” she said. “Gov. Wolf proposed a budget that has a $75 million increase for preschool. Almost 9,000 new kids would have access and they don’t have it now … Unfortunately, the House Republicans slashed the governor’s budget by $50 million and zeroed out the home visiting program.”

State Rep. Jamie Santora, R-163 of Upper Darby, said the package approved by House Republicans still includes a $25 million increase and that there were concerns that spots weren’t being filled in the early childhood education programs due to space.

Carol Austin, executive director of the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney appointee to a board overseeing Pre-K education, said there was no issue with spots being filled, that the program was full of participants.

The budget is now in the hands of the state Senate.

Wetzel said they need to draw upon their fortitude.

“When you talk about preventing crime, let’s prevent the crime of having someone’s parental situation and their zip code dictate their future opportunities – because that’s the reality today,” he said. “When 115,000 kids are eligible for these programs but can’t get them because we don’t have the courage to fund them, that’s a crime in and of itself.

“And the reality is we have a responsibility to these kids,” he said.

Wetzel said the report showed that inmates’ educational attainment and their interaction with their parents dictates their future.

Newsworks: With prison as backdrop, advocates stump for more Pa. pre-K

Newsworks: With prison as backdrop, advocates stump for more Pa. pre-K
May 26, 2017 by Avi Wolfman-Arent

As lawmakers in Harrisburg jockey over Pennsylvania’s budget, a group of legislators and law enforcement officials gathered Friday to stump for more state pre-k money.

And they did it in front of an arresting backdrop — the state prison in Chester city.

“It’s no question how people end up behind us,” said state Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, referring to the barbed wire over her right shoulder. “Because we don’t invest in them.”

Gov. Tom Wolf wants to layer an extra $75 million on top of the roughly $200 million Pennsylvania already spends on government-subsidized pre-K. On Friday, Wolf’s Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel joined local prosecutors and police officials to stump for the money.

“When you hear 115,000 kids are eligible for these programs, but can’t get in them because we don’t have the courage to fund them, that’s a crime in itself,” Wetzel said.

The money in Wolf’s budget plan would give an estimated 8,400 low-income children access to pre-K, according to the administration.

A report released Friday in conjunction with the press event projected that Wolf’s proposal would save the commonwealth $244 million over the lifetime of the children enrolled by reducing special-education costs, boosting future wages, and cutting back on crime.

The report comes from the advocacy group Council for a Strong American, which includes law enforcement from across the country and positions itself as a counterweight to the “tough on crime” movement of the 1990s. The savings calculations were based on “a sophisticated meta-analysis of nearly 20 high-quality, pre-K programs for disadvantaged children,” according to the report.

In April, the state House of Representatives passed a budget bill that included some increases to pre-K funding, but not nearly as hefty a spike as Wolf requested. House Bill 218, which is now before the Senate Appropriations Committee, would increase state pre-K spending by $25 million.

Read the full article here.

WJACTV: Advocates Push for More Funding for Preschool Education

WJACTV: Advocates Push for More Funding for Preschool Education
May 21, 2017 by Lauren Petrelli

Harrisburg, Pa. – A new study released two weeks ago suggests Pennsylvania is spending less money on pre-school programs compared to other states.

Gov. Tom Wolf and other organizations, such as Pre-K for PA, hope the study will encourage lawmakers to invest more money into the budget for early education.

According to the report called “Prioritizing Pre-K in Pennsylvania: A State Comparison,” Pennsylvania is one of 27 states along with the Washington D.C. that has decided to invest in high-quality pre-school education.

The report said Pennsylvania began funding pre-school in 2003 due to the Accountability Block Grant and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, but lawmakers said they need more funding.

The study showed 65 percent of Pennsylvania pre-schoolers eligible for publicly funded pre-school don’t get to attend, leading Pennsylvania to rank number 20 on the previous list mentioned.

Advocates who helped compile the study are now calling on the legislature to join the governor and expand pre-school investments in the state budget by $75 million for the coming fiscal year, as mentioned in the press release. 

Reports show the new budget would allow 8,400 more children to benefit from publicly funded, high-quality pre-school next school year.

Advocates for the new budget believe high-quality early education is an investment that will lead to benefits in the state’s social services, reduced crime, and increased earning power, according to the study.

Read the article here.