Group says early education investment saves money

Zachary Colman |

Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - With more Illinois children falling into poverty, investing in early childhood education today could save the state millions of dollars in the future, an advocacy group said Thursday.

Voices for Illinois Children acknowledged the state has a huge budget deficit and is cutting many programs. But the group's president, former state lawmaker Kathy Ryg, said services for children in fourth grade and below should be spared from budget cuts if the state wants to prevent a drain on social services when the children are older.

Children from low-income families made up 45 percent of public school enrollment in fall 2009 _ up from 37 percent a decade ago, the group said. In some large districts, low-income enrollment tops 70 percent. Voices said the recession has driven up poverty dramatically. In Illinois, the child poverty rate jumped from 17 percent in 2008 to 19 percent in 2009, the highest since 1993.

The group said about 5,000 fewer children participated in pre-kindergarten programs because of spending cuts in the last fiscal year. Enrollment is expected to drop further this year, it said.

Other programs, such as the Summer Bridges program for underachieving children in low-performing schools and the Children's Mental Health Partnership, also could be cut.

``The proven, effective program that we know works to prepare children for being ready to learn when they go to school is at risk because we're unable to pay our bills,'' Ryg said at a news conference at the Statehouse. ``We know it's far more effective for the state to assist children while they're still young.''

Ryg said the consequences are clear: Poor children do worse in school, have a greater chance of getting into legal trouble and are more likely to rely on social services as adults.

Less than half of low-income students scored at the ``basic'' level of reading skills in fourth-grade testing, while 80 percent of other students reached that benchmark, she said, adding that poverty was at least partly responsible for lower test scores among minority students.

Advocates said there are some inexpensive ways to improve early childhood education.

Decatur Public Schools superintendent Gloria Davis said her district has taken a community approach to early childhood education by giving churches, pre-schools and social service groups a common mission, often beginning when children are 3. She said 68 percent of children in her district live in poverty, and minorities make up more than half the district.

Davis said educators need to address students' individual needs much earlier. She said the difference in reading and speaking levels between children once they hit age 3 or 4 can sometimes be so drastic that a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective.

``Once we know those needs, then we need to educate for those needs,'' Davis said. ``We usually don't start to look at those needs as critically as we should until maybe kindergarten.''

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