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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Pre-Kindergarten Program Targets Kids at Risk

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Friday, February 20, 2009   

Pierre, SD – Proponents of legislation that would lay the foundation for state-funded pre-kindergarten for children at risk say early childhood learning yields high public and private returns. Ongoing research conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis shows an investment in early learning delivers social and economic benefits.

That’s why State Sen. Tom Dempster (R-Sioux Falls) is sponsoring Senate bill 191, which was approved in the Senate Education Committee Thursday. Dempster says it’s profoundly important the state offer such opportunities for children.

"Number one, it creates productive individuals and number two it saves all sorts of money on costs that society would have to pay, whether that be special education or our (juvenile detention centers) or our teen courts."

Opponents worry about the future costs of the program, however Rob Grunewald, who conducts regional economic research for the Bank, says their studies show the first few years of life are very important for a child’s development. Statistics show that children who come to kindergarten prepared to succeed tend to do well, he says, but those who come behind tend to stay behind.

"We have reviewed research studies that showed the impact of high quality pre-school on low-income kids and found they performed better in school. They were more likely to graduate from high school on time, earn more money in the workforce, pay more in taxes and were less likely to commit crime. We found the return on investment is about 10 to 18 percent of return annually; a very high rate of return."

Dempster says his legislation requires no funding up front, with participation voluntary for parents, communities and providers. He predicts the pre-k program could help as many as 2,500 children in South Dakota who otherwise can’t get into Head Start.





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