Posted on 10/19/2004 8:41:15 PM PDT by FITZ
With 39 percent of El Paso children under the age of 5 living in poverty, local and state advocates said it has become more important to pump more resources into programs that target the academic and health development of toddlers.
A study released today by several think-tanks throughout Texas shows that investing in early childhood development programs today could reduce the tax burden on issues such as remedial education, welfare, crime and poverty in the future.
The study, "Exceptional Returns: Economic, Fiscal and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Development," estimates that for every $1 invested in programs like Head Start, $2 will be generated to taxpayers in future savings.
"That estimate may be low, because other studies find that the return for every $1 can be of up to $8," said Susan Craven, executive director of Texans Care For Children, one of the groups releasing the study.
"That's a huge pay off for early investment in children, and in the right hands these figures could mean good news for kids throughout the state," she said.
The study was conducted by the Washington D.C., based Economic Policy Institute, and shows that increased funding in initiatives for young children will both increase economic growth and reduce the public cost of remedial programs.
U.S. Census data shows that the number of children under the age of 5 living in poverty in El Paso increased by 1,000 to about 25,500 from 2002 to 2003. In Texas, the increase was of about 200,000.
Gustavo Reveles Acosta maybe reached at greveles@elpasotimes.com; 546-6133.
as usual, not a word about illegal invaders
Time out, time out. How many of these "39%" are the children of illegals? I'll wager oh...99.9%.
Government programs can't solve poverty. And leaving out illegal aliens is stupid.
Americans don't know what poverty is. IMO you only stay poor if you are not motivated to do better.
Many of this 39% aren't technically illegals --- they are the anchor babies that get their young unwed mothers from Mexico a nice hefty welfare check and free babysitting at Head Start, food stamps and a whole lot more.
well lets see perhaps if we stoped the flow up from mexico, we wouldn't be turning our border towns into mexico city suberbs with all the poverty there.
It's not America's job to take on all the "fertile turtles" from south of the border.
* - Explanation of the term provided only via FReepmail.
Increasing the number of handouts and government provided freebies will just attract that many more who come just to get those. We're importing large amounts of poverty, getting them all kinds of Socialist programs which brings in larger amounts of poverty and breeds even more.
If you were a 13 year old girl from Mexico who never made it through the 3rd grade and were about to deliver a baby --- wouldn't you also head on over to where everything is going to be handed to you? If your choice is to stay in Mexico and beg on the streets or have to work for a living --- you'd also want to better your life.
In that, I believe that America is truly doing no-one any favors because we're giving 13-year-old girls the idea that they'll be bailed out if they get pregnant after having premarital relations.
Again, it is not our job to be nanny to Mexicans who make lousy life decisions. It is up to Mexicans to dump their corrupt government and get over their racist "La Raza" nonsense if they're going to improve their lot in life.
Hey, I've got a really great idea. Lets just take them away from the parents and just let the state raise them. That way they wouldn't be living in poverty and would have a good education and cold grow up to be great statists. Also we should take all the women and put them into camps where the men could go visit them when the time comes to procreate. That sounds really good doesn't it? </sarcasm>
And let's not forget the influx by idiotic amnesty programs!
When that number reaches 80% or more --- and it soon will, we will look exactly like Mexico --- then what?
Then we will have lost the War on Error.
How about parents invest in their own kids? What a concept, huh?
I'm so tired of people sitting in offices coming up with ideas based on emotion who then figure it is up to everyone to pay for the beneficiary of their ideas. Tap Hollywood - they are good socialists.
You can bet we already invested a lot in their parents --- in America "poverty" means tons of government housing assistance, food stamps, free health care and a lot more. That's why they are moving over from Mexico --- poverty in America means you don't have to work for a living or pay your own way.
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