Area police chiefs showing support for early childhood education
JOPLIN, Mo — Kids at an area childcare program get a visit from Joplin’s top cop.
In fact, the chiefs of police from three area cities got together to show their support for early childhood education and those who staff that service. It’s part of a nationwide program called, “Fight Crime: Invest In Kids.”
Joplin Police Chief, Dr. Richard Pearson says kids that don’t have access to education programs like Head Start and Early Head Start are 70% more likely to get arrested for a violent crime by the time they’re 18.
“We get to see these children early in life and try to mentor them and alter their life trajectory, so they don’t take that criminal path, so that we don’t have to deal with them in a negative context later down the road, so I think Frederick Douglas said it best, “It’s better to raise strong children than to fix broken men,” said Chief Pearson.
“We’re a national organization of law enforcement leaders who really volunteer their time to talk about why early childhood education matters, why after school matters, why voluntary parent coaching matters, and how they all end up preventing crime in the long run and getting kids on the path to success,” said Tamar Liberman with “Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.”
Lieberman says many smaller police departments lose qualified officers because of the lack of childcare in those communities, and because the cost of childcare is higher than what they make on the job.
