Dramatic Results Over 40 Years in Michigan
By age 40, adults who participated as 3- and 4-year-olds in quality preschool were more likely to have graduated from high school, held a job, made higher earnings and committed fewer crimes than those who didn’t attend, according to this seminal study. In 1962, researchers began following 123 high-risk 3- and 4-year-olds and their families in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Nearly 60 of those children were randomly assigned to a high-quality early learning program; the rest received no preschool.
Saving Money in Chicago
A study conducted by Arthur Reynolds of the University of Wisconsin followed 989 students enrolled in 20 Chicago Parent-Child Centers beginning at age 3 and a comparison group of 550 other eligible children who did not participate in the program until the children reached eighth grade. The study demonstrated that young children who receive high-quality early education do better in school academically, are less likely to drop out of high school, be arrested, repeat grades or be placed in special education services. In addition to the increased earnings capacity by those who participated in the program, the study found that society saves more than $7 for every $1 invested in preschool.
