Original Source | The Register-Guard
By Jim Torrey, June 13, 2009

Legislators should hold a few simple truths in mind as they decide whether to approve proposed funding cuts for Oregon Head Start pre-kindergarten, the state's cost-effective preschool program for 3- and 4-year-olds living in poverty:

Children growing up now cannot wait for Oregon's economy to rebound.

Head Start saves taxpayers money and closes the achievement gap.

These facts are vitally important. Today's preschool-age children are just beginning to live out their life stories. How these stories unfold, particularly for Oregon's most vulnerable children, will depend in no small part on decisions made by the Legislature in the next few weeks.

As a former mayor, I understand the financial constraints legislators are facing. But I am also aware of the cost to taxpayers of not investing in the lives of young at-risk children.

Research conducted by the Children's Institute in 2006 shows that for every eligible child not enrolled in Head Start, Oregon incurs a net loss of at least $30,000, mostly in the form of higher costs for kindergarten through 12th grade schools and prisons, and lost taxes.

Besides being among the most effective and least expensive strategies for reducing crime, Head Start and its companion program for infants and toddlers, Early Head Start, greatly reduce the need for expensive remedial education in the kindergarten through 12th grade system. Think of pre-kindergarten as the feeder system for kindergarten to grade 12.

If the Legislature is serious about getting more value out of each dollar invested in schools, then we as a state must do a better job of preparing children for success in school.

Longitudinal studies, economic analyses and recent developments in brain science all point to the urgency of setting a child's life on a positive trajectory at the earliest possible point, when it's least expensive and most effective, and to do it in a way that supports parents' involvement in their children's education. Playing catch-up is less effective and more expensive, which is why the Legislature increased funding for Head Start in 2007, and why it should continue - not cut - that funding, especially in this budget crisis. The need is greater today than it was in 2007, and the case for investing in early education programs is even stronger.

We cannot defer the cost of educating our children when times are tough. Legislators: Continue investing in Head Start. And in addition, create the first state-federal, birth-to-5 early education partnership with an investment of $1 million in Early Head Start.

Both programs are wise investments now, and they will look even better in 20 years.

Jim Torrey, a former mayor of Eugene and former executive director of Kidsports, is a member of Oregon's Ready for School Leaders Panel and has served on the Oregon Juvenile Crime Prevention Advisory Committee, the Oregon Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and the Lane Workforce Partnership Board.