When kids enter kindergarten ready to succeed, the benefits spread rapidly to the K-12 education system, the economy, and public safety.  Ultimately, high-quality preschool is an investment that pays significant social and economic dividends in both the short and long run. 

• In the long-term, studies show that children who attend high-quality pre-k are:
  
  
• more likely to graduate from high school; 
• more likely to be employed;
• more likely to earn a higher income; 
• less likely to need public assistance;
• more likely to lead healthy lives;  and
• less likely to become involved in crime.

Read more about long-term benefits found in two major studies, High Scope/Perry Preschool and Chicago Parent-Child Centers.

• One research study calculated that high-quality preschool programs targeted to the children who need it most return $7.14 for every dollar invested in pre-k.  Chicago Parent-Child Centers.
  
  
• A 2007 study by the Economic Policy Institute determined that a targeted preschool program in California would begin to pay for itself within six years and continue to net substantial benefits for society by saving government spending on K-12 education, child welfare, and the criminal justice system and by increasing tax revenues. See the Economic Policy Institute’s California fact sheet.

For more on the long-term benefits of effective pre-kindergarten, please read our fact sheet, The Business and Economic Development Case for Pre-Kindergarten Opportunity.  More information is also available on our Reports and Studies page.