LANSING - News that early childhood efforts save Michigan a billion dollars a year caught the media’s ear in a big way this week.
 
The Grand Rapids Press reported that “preschool saves Michigan taxpayers mountains of money and increases revenues -- about $1.15 billion (a year) according to the first comprehensive study of the state's programs for children from birth to 5 years old.”
 
Walt Sorg, Lansing’s venerable AM radio voice on WILS 1320, interviewed Wilder Research economist Paul Anton just prior to the news conference. You can hear the interview here.
 
The Detroit News wrote: “State School Superintendent Mike Flanagan said the results underscore Michigan's need to focus on school readiness for preschoolers.”We spend about a billion dollars a grade, and we don't spend it where you get the biggest bang for the buck and the greatest brain development for the kids," he said.”
 
In that same article, House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, said investing in early education is critical to Michigan's future.
 
"House Democrats continue to fight to protect funding for early education because we know that investing in Michigan's kids pays off multiple times over," he said.
 
On the Senate side, Matt Marsden, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, said additional cuts to childhood programs won't be necessary if the economic plan proposed by Bishop last week is adopted.

Here are excerpts and links to other news coverage of the event:

Detroit News, blog, Nolan Finley, editorial page editor, Make early childhood education a priority

Excerpt: As Michigan's policymakers debate new spending priorities, deciding which services a shrinking state can support and which it can't, it ought to move early childhood education higher up the list.
 
apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/nolanfinleyblog/index.php#ixzz0e0cwyQWJ
 
Detroit Free Press, commentary, Paul Anton, Wilder Research, Early childhood funds pay back in many ways
Excerpt: With continued pressure on the budget for fiscal year 2011, Michigan lawmakers may consider cutting these programs further. I encourage them to consider the facts before taking such a step. Our research indicates Michigan saves that $1.15 billion in real and substantive ways.
 
http://www.freep.com/article/20100128/OPINION05/1280392/1068/opinion/Early-childhood-funds-pay-back-in-many-ways
 

Battle Creek Enquirer, editorial, “A smart investment: Early childhood education efforts pay off”
 
Excerpt: Advocates for early childhood education long have argued that it makes more sense to help educate young children than pay later to provide social services or prison space for them. Now they have some numbers to back up those claims, with the release last week of a report by Wilder Research, a Minnesota-based company that was commissioned by the Early Childhood Investment Corp. to study the issue.
 
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100202/OPINION01/2020301/1014/OPINION/A-smart-investment-Early-childhood-education-efforts-pay-off
 
Coldwater Daily News, Study: Mich. wrong to cut early education programs

Excerpt: By getting help for children earlier the study said there was $347 million in reduced social costs, including $259 million in reduced losses to victims of vio­lent crimes, $74 million in increased productivity and incomes of employed parents while their children are in early education programs, and $14 million in health savings due to reduced alcohol and drug abuse.

http://www.thedailyreporter.com/newsnow/x402456194/Study-Mich-wrong-to-cut-early-education-programs

Alpena Daily News, Study: Early ed investments pay off

Excerpt:  Early childhood education advocates are trying to save funding for their programs in what promises to be a difficult budget cycle in Michigan.

thealpenanews.com/page/content.detail/id/100584.html

Adrian Daily Telegram, Early childhood intervention pays off, study says

Excerpt: Lenawee County supporters of early childhood education are hoping a new study will show the importance of preparing children to learn before they enter kindergarten. “This is something we’ve known,” said Margaret Gross, director of Lenawee Great Start, an agency that works with the private and public sectors to meet the needs of local children and families. “Programs throughout the county have been able to document this kind of success. But in order to really make the case to the general public, this (study) is delightful, because we now have someone besides us making this point.”

http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x402456533/Early-childhood-intervention-pays-off-study-says

 
Iron Mountain Daily News, Study: Early ed investments pay off
 Excerpt: The state’s Early Childhood Investment Corp. released a study Monday that states Michigan saves money in the long run by investing in programs for children before kindergarten, and that investing in preschool programs results in fewer students having to repeat grades or requiring special services.
 
http://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/100584.html?isap=1&nav=5022
 
Marquette Mining Journal Study: Early ed investments pay off
 Excerpt: Early childhood education advocates are trying to save funding for their programs in what promises to be a difficult budget cycle in Michigan. The investment lowers the eventual cost for social services and the criminal system while helping create an educated work force.
 
http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/100584.html?isap=1&nav=5014

 
Gongwer News Service, Report urges more investment in early childhood education

Excerpt: "We hope this report will provide some new insight and help guide our elected officials," said Judy Samelson, CEO of the group. She said in past budget discussions, leaders have said it was difficult to dedicate money to programs where the payout was so far down the road. Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan said the state needs to look at its educational investment more broadly and more wisely. "It's kind of brain dead that we spend $1 billion per grade but we don't spend it where we can get the biggest bang for the buck," he said.

MIRS news service, Study: Pre-K Saves $805M In Budget

Excerpt: Wilder Research economist Paul ANTON said most studies have looked five, 10 or 20 years into the future. "There are returns today that are palpable and I think you'll find surprisingly large," he said. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, the state spent $103 million on early childhood education and cut $7 million. An additional $8 or $9 million was lost due to the state making early childhood discretionary spending, thus allowing local school districts to chop it. About 10 percent did, the ECIC reported.

WKAR, Lansing, MI Superintendent stresses early childhood education funding

Excerpt: Superintendent Michael Flanagan says pre-kindergarten needs to be well-funded because most brain development happens before age four. He says there needs to be a focus on preparing children for college - and that means small class sizes for kids developing in preschool, and introducing larger lectures for high school students. "I mean my daughter is a high school teacher so she'd kill me for this, but class size is a work issue, not a really a child issue," he says. "And I get that. She's already got 150 kids. But I'm just saying you can reorganize that so there are some courses that really are lecture courses.”

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wkar/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1603824/Top.Stories/MI.Superintendent.stresses.early.childhood.education.funding
 
ABC12, Flint, Michigan educators are already gearing up for another round of tough state budget talk
 
Excerpt: Advocates are calling this the first study of its kind to document the economic benefits of preschool education in Michigan. The report argues that kids who attend preschool are less likely to repeat grades and require extra academic services. They also are less likely to end up in the juvenile justice system or adult prisons.
 
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=7238296 
 
Detroit Free Press, State preschool programs save $1B a year in crime, education costs
 
Excerpt: Flanagan said the study shows the state should spend much more than it does getting prekindergarten children ready for school, which would produce more far reaching benefits.  “In a K-12 system, we spend $`1 billion a grade, but we don’t spend anywhere close to that where it would get the biggest bang for the buck” which is preschool programs, Flanagan said.  Flanagan said the state and school districts should consider reducing the cost of school employee benefits and using the savings to expand preschool programs.
 
http://www.freep.com/article/20100125/NEWS06/100125039/1318/State-preschool-programs-save-1B-a-year-in-crime-education-costs
 
WMMT, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Report says Michigan saves money with early childhood education
 
Excerpt: The study found that Michigan schools saved more than $220 million because fewer kids repeated grades and learning disabilities were caught early on. Taxpayers also spent less on juvenile corrections and welfare. Researchers also found 80,000 adults in the workforce who would probably have dropped out of school if they had not seen help early on.
 
http://www.wwmt.com/articles/michigan-1371783-saves-margin.html
 
WTOL.com, Toledo, Mich. early ed supports say investments pay off
 
Excerpt: The state's Early Childhood Investment Corp. released a study Monday that says Michigan saves money in the long run by investing in programs for children before kindergarten. The study says investing in preschool programs results in fewer students having to repeat grades or requiring special services.
www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp 
WKZO AM, Kalamazoo, Report: Early Childhood Education Prevents Future Spending 

Excerpt:   Investing in early childhood education really pays off according to one new report.  Over the last quarter-century, Michigan School Superintendent Mike Flanagan says the state has saved around 1.15-billion dollars by investing in preschool programs.

 http://new.wkzo.com/news/articles/2010/jan/26/report-early-childhood-education-prevents-future-s/
 
TV 6, Marquette, Preschool programs reduce need for special education
Excerpt:  Making friends and touching your toes.  Those don't sound like skills vital to the careers of small tots, but play groups, like the one at the Marquette Alger County RESA today, are developmentally important. "If they don't know how to get along with other children in their class, on the playground, sharing, taking turns; it makes it difficult to establish a learning environment," said Early Childhood Consultant, Barb Nelson. It's all in a study released by the state's Early Childhood Investment Corporation, which found that investing in preschool programs results in fewer students requiring special services.
 
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=407365
 
Mama’s Way.com, Debate Over Early Childhood Education
Excerpt: Early childhood education advocates are trying to save funding for their programs in what promises to be a difficult budget cycle in Michigan.
The state's Early Childhood Investment Corp. released a study Monday that says Michigan saves money in the long run by investing in programs for children before kindergarten. The study says investing in preschool programs results in fewer students having to repeat grades or requiring special services.
 
http://mammasway.com/childhood/debate-over-early-childhood-education-wilx-tv/
 
Socato.org, State preschool programs save $1B a year in crime, education costs
Excerpt: State preschool programs over the past 25 years are saving the state $1 billion this year in crime and education costs, with increased productivity, according to a new study announced by state school superintendent Mike Flanagan and early childhood development advocates.
Flanagan said the study shows the state should spend much more than it does getting prekindergarten children ready for school, which would produce more far reaching benefits. “In a K-12 system, we spend $`1 billion a grade, but we don’t spend anywhere close to that where it would get the biggest bang for the buck” which is preschool programs, Flanagan said.
 
http://socato.org/?p=2040
 

Charleston Daily Mail, W.V., Advocates urge investment in Mich. early education
Excerpt: LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Funding for Michigan's pre-kindergarten learning programs must be preserved or increased to save the state money in the long run, despite ongoing budgetary restraints, according to a report released Monday. The study commissioned by the Early Childhood Investment Corp. says investing in preschool programs results in fewer students needing to repeat grades or seek special services. Such investment lowers the eventual cost for welfare, Medicaid and the criminal system while helping create an educated work force, the report found.
 
http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/201001250567
 
Aston Martin News, tweet roundup, Mich. early ed supports say investments pay off 
Excerpts: 8investor says: Mich. early ed supports say investments pay off: AP LANSING, Mich. - Early childhood education advocates are tr.. - 25th Jan, 2010
 

http://astonmartinnews.com/story/485568587/mich-early-ed-supports-say-investments-pay-off-chicagotribunecom