Did you know that providing
high-quality preschool for all children who want it could save Washington up to
$120 million every year in special education costs alone? That’s the
Feb. 7 “Early learning fact of the day” from the Children’s Alliance.
A recent analysis of why
High Quality Pre-K Programs Save Taxpayers Money Right Away shows why these
savings are so big: Taxpayers typically pay nearly $100,000 more for kids in
special education, compared with kids who don’t need these services—and
high quality early learning can cut the number of kids who need special
education in half (48%, to be exact).
Washington recently netted $60 million in federal dollars by
winning a national Early Learning Challenge Fund grant, because we know how to
do early learning right.
Ask Kylee’s mom. Kylee’s family doctor suspected
developmental delays. Teachers and others within a Tacoma ECEAP program swung
into action, tailoring a plan to help Kylee get ready to learn in kindergarten.
The result? Kylee avoided special education (and its costs), and is now a top
notch fifth-grade student. In fact, she just earned a Governor’s Award for having one of the highest WASL scores at her
elementary school.
ECEAP worked for Kylee. It works
for taxpayers, too. That’s why teachers and people who care about kids say that
passing the High
Quality Learning Act (HB 2448) proposed by Rep. Roger
Goodman could save far more children—and tax dollars—in the years ahead.
To read this story in Spanish, click here.
To read this story in Spanish, click here.
