Strong Communities

Laying the Foundation for Good Citizenship

The science of human development reveals that traits such as empathy, impulse control and the ability to form strong social and emotional attachments not only influence children's academic performance, but their overall social competency as well. Children who face serious risk factors in their earliest years—including severe poverty, unstable family environments and a lack of developmentally appropriate early learning experiences—are more likely to drop out of school, adopt unsafe and unhealthy life habits and eventually find their way into Nebraska's overburdened criminal justice system.      

Crime has a direct impact on the quality of life our state takes pride in, but the fiscal consequences are just as apparent. Nebraska currently faces enormous challenges to its ability to accommodate a rapidly growing population of incarcerated offenders. This places a steadily-mounting burden on Nebraska taxpayers, who will realize little or no return on the average $35,950 spent to house and maintain each inmate annually—nearly three times the amount we invest on average for each student in the public school system. This expenditure does not include the other costs of crime associated with prosecution, damages and loss of productivity.         

State and national law enforcement officials agree that high-quality early childhood investments are a key strategy for turning this trend around, reducing the drain on public resources due to crime and making Nebraska's communities safer, more attractive places to live and work.

Investing in the Security of Our Communities

High-quality early childhood experiences not only build stronger communities, they help ensure their protection as well. Our nation’s armed forces and National Guard rely on an available body of citizens who are intellectually, socially and physically competent to rise to this serious responsibility. Nevertheless approximately 15 percent of young Nebraskans (and 75 percent nationally) who seek to enlist in the Army are unable to do so because they do not meet the military’s basic proficiency requirements for math, literacy and problem-solving. Others are disqualified from service because they have a criminal history or make lifestyle choices that leave them physically unfit for service.

This alarming trend points at a growing deficit in the military’s recruitment pool, and consequently a growing challenge to our national security. Increasingly, many of our nation’s most senior military leaders are looking to investments in early childhood as a proven strategy for building a generation of skilled, disciplined and physically fit citizens who can meet the needs of our armed forces and civilian sector in the decades ahead.