Investing in Maine Head Start Pre-Kindergarten Saves Money

This report describes the Head Start program both nationally and as it operates in Maine. Research shows that high-quality prekindergarten programs like Head Start save money, cut crime, and help children learn. Providing high-quality Head Start services to the estimated 5,000 eligible children per year in Maine could yield as much as $400 million in benefits per year to taxpayers, program participants, and crime victims in Maine. An estimated $250 million of these benefits would go to the public in reduced government spending for services like remedial education or juvenile detention, and increased tax revenue because there will be more better-paid workers. The value of these public benefits translates into approximately $400 in tax savings for every Maine taxpaying household. In addition to the impressive tax savings, providing high-quality Head Start will strengthen Maine’s economy by helping children succeed and go on to become tomorrow’s skilled workers, taxpayers, and productive citizens instead of tomorrow’s criminals. Improving the quality of Maine’s workforce through high-quality prekindergarten is a smart long-term strategy to maintain Maine’s economic competitiveness.