Police point to study showing lowered crime rate
Eastern Iowa law enforcement wants to use a new crime fighting tool: preschool. The Linn County Sheriff and Cedar Rapids police chief Wednesday pushed to get more kids enrolled. They point to a study showing high-quality preschool education lowers the crime rate.
“When you work in law enforcement, it’s easy to see that helping low-income, at-risk, 3 and 4 year-olds get a jump start in their education can make a critical difference in reducing the likelihood they will become criminals,” Cedar Rapids Police Chief Greg Graham said.
Kids learn how to get along with others, take turns and share
Head Start Program Education Coordinator Coralie Williams said, “Their learning starts at birth. There’s been a lot of research that shows that by the time a child is five, they’re already gotten a lot of brain development.” Kids can attend preschool programs like Head Start free of charge, but their parents must be below the federal poverty level. Plus, there has to be enough room — right now more than four-hundred children are on waiting lists for the program.
“I am very lucky. I’m actually very blessed to have her in this program,” parent Lindsey Tate said. While some activities may look like children simply coloring or playing games, kids are actually learning valuable lessons. “They learn about their feelings and how to control their feelings. They learn a lot of social skills, how to get along with others, how to take turns and share,” Williams said.
Then, when they get to elementary school, these preschool students will already have some basic skills to help them succeed. After all, the world has become more and more competitive and experts argue these kinds of advantages can truly change a child’s life.
