Leaders tout many benefits of Head Start

BANGOR – Head Start, the federal program for preschoolers that promotes readiness for learning, is also an early crime-stopper, a group of community leaders stressed Wednesday.

Bangor Police Chief Don Winslow and Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross joined an area business leader as well as an economist who has studied poverty in Maine in a news conference to promote the 40-year-old program and to urge greater investment in it.

“We believe the best way to get kids on the right track is to invest in education,” said Jeff Kirsch, vice president of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national nonprofit anti-crime organization.

Kirsch stood Wednesday in “the castle” at the Penquis Child Care Development Center at the Penobscot Job Corps Center on Union Street. Standing with him were Winslow, Ross, local businesswoman Cheryl Russell and economist Philip Trostel from the University of Maine.

A newly issued report, “Investing in Maine Head Start Saves Money,” has staggering statistics suggesting that by enrolling children in Head Start, the kids are less likely to become criminals later in life and are more likely to do better in school and earn more money as adults.

As a result, they are less likely to be a drain on the state’s economy or to become entangled in the criminal justice system, which saves Mainers money, Ross said.

“We’re talking about dollar savings,” he said.

And “the earlier you start, the greater the payoff,” said Trostel, professor of economics and public policy at UM. “If you invest early, you get a payoff over time. The value of Head Start is getting the kids ready to learn; getting kids to continue to high school.”

In Maine, there are about 8,000 eligible children who are not serviced by Head Start because of a lack of federal funding, the report says.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that unruly kids can develop into unruly adults,” Winslow said. “Congress needs to step up to the plate and invest in these children now.”

Ross also made a plea for additional program subsidies.

“Increase federal funding for Head Start and make access available for more children,” Ross said. “Head Start helps Maine stay tough on crime and [it’s] easy on the wallet” in the long run.

Supporting all early education programs is important to give children a head start, but by supporting the Head Start program, low-income youngsters who may not have access to resources are provided with them.

“If you help the most disadvantaged kids – you get the biggest benefit,” Trostel said. “It’s compound interest.”

The best way to build a skilled work force is to educate our children early, Russell said.

“Head Start will truly give a jump-start to our economy,” she said.