Obama seeks early childhood investments

WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- Investment in early childhood initiatives will pay dividends by reducing welfare, healthcare costs and crime rates, U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday.

Studies indicate children in early childhood education programs are more likely to test better in reading and math, graduate from high school and attend college, Obama told the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington. They're also more likely to hold a job and earn more in that job.

"For every dollar we invest in these programs, we get nearly $10 back in reduced welfare rolls, fewer healthcare costs, and less crime," he said.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests $5 billion to grow Early Head Start and Head Start programs, expand access to quality child care for working families, and better assist children with special needs, the president said. In addition, the funding will provide 55,000 first-time parents regular visits from trained nurses to ensure their children "are healthy and prepare them for school and for life," he said.

He challenged the states to develop "a cutting-edge plan to raise the quality of your early learning programs" to ensure that children are better prepared for kindergarten. States that develop success programs would be supported with an Early Learning Challenge Grant that Obama called on Congress to enact.