We have a lot of research on early learning’s long-term returns – more college degrees, better salaries and higher homeownership rates – but a new report says there are more immediate reasons for states to invest in preschool and pre-kindergarten.

Among those reasons is that quality early learning offers big savings by supporting prepared students and parents, the Partnership for America’s Economic Success suggests in its issue brief.

For example, home visiting and mentoring programs alone could

• “…Help decrease by half the incidence of low-birthweight births, saving between $28,000 and $40,000 per low-birthweight birth averted…”“
• “…Save states collectively some of the $33 billion in annual child abuse- and neglect-related costs, such as hospitalization and law enforcement.”

The report’s argument for quality pre-k is also interesting, suggesting it leads to better kindergarten students, which in turn boosts teachers’ effectiveness, reduces staff turnover and cuts special education costs.

Quality pre-k savings also include:

• “Parents whose children are in reliable, quality care work more productively and rely less on public assistance. Those who are out of work can search for jobs and participate in training programs.”
• “States generate roughly two dollars in local spending for each federal childcare dollar spent. These “multiplier effects” range from 1.92 in Ohio to 2.08 in California and 2.17 in Pennsylvania.” (See the report for research sources. The Partnership for America’s Economic Success, which released the report, is a division of The Pew Center on the States.)

On the heels of this issue brief, Michigan’s school superintendent released another report today saying school readiness investments over the last 25 years saved the state $1.15 billion in 2009, Grand Rapids News reports.

Thanks to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and the National Institute for Early Education Research for finding this news.