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Arkansas Pre-K Pays Off, According to New Report on ABC Program

First-ever statewide economic analysis of pre-kindergarten program shows significant return on investment

(Little Rock, AR) – Pre-K Now and Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families today released the first-ever statewide study detailing the economic benefits of the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) pre-kindergarten program. An Economic Analysis of Pre-K in Arkansas was prepared by Clive Belfield, Ph.D., an economist at Queens College, City University of New York, and provides compelling state-specific evidence of the cost savings associated with high-quality pre-k.

"High-quality pre-k benefits all children, and shows a remarkable return on investment," said Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now. "Pre-k is a proven school reform solution and Dr. Belfield's research confirms that pre-k is also critical for economic development."

According to Dr. Belfield's economic analysis, Arkansas' pre-k investment to date will yield $2.32 for every $1 state leaders have allocated for the Arkansas Better Chance pre-k program for at-risk children. If the program were extended to all children, Arkansas would conservatively yield $1.58 in future cost savings. The analysis focused on the returns to Arkansas taxpayers in terms of public sector benefits and did not address the direct gains to the participating children and families or the economic growth produced by the pre-k sector itself in local economies (such as new jobs, revenues to educational suppliers, etc). Arkansas' potential savings mirrors that of similar pre-k economic studies conducted in Wisconsin, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York.

Additionally, the economic analysis found that:

• 63 percent of Arkansas children and 40 percent of at-risk children have no access to the state's public pre-k program;
• Implementing a high-quality, voluntary pre-k system for all the state's three and four year olds would require a total of $226 million, but even with Dr. Belfield's very cautious model the state would see a return of $356 million; and
• Multiple state agencies would share the fiscal benefits, including the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas Department of Revenue.

"Everyone in our society benefits from the quality pre-school education that our three- and four-year-old children receive," said Rich Huddleston, Executive Director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. "This study shows that quality pre-school not only improves the long-term educational and economic prospects of children but that the investment we make in pre-k pays for itself in the long-run."

"Arkansas has one of the highest quality pre-k programs in the country, and the analysis shows that expanding that program will contribute significantly to improving the state's economy," Doggett said. "As Arkansas's new legislators and governor look for economic opportunities to take Arkansas through the 21st century they should strongly consider expanding pre-k to more children."

** Download a PDF version of the report by clicking this link:
An Economic Analysis of Pre-K in Arkansas

Pre-K Now collaborates with state advocates and policymakers to lead a movement for high-quality pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds. The following funders contribute to making this important work possible: The Pew Charitable Trusts, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, RGK Foundation, CityBridge Foundation, and the Schumann Fund for New Jersey.

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