A new national study claims Head Start funding can cut crime. The report is from the D.C.-based group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids . Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn is on the group's board of directors. "This organization is kind of counterintuitive," says Flynn, who's been on the job in Milwaukee since the beginning of the year. "We advocate for increased spending on programs that benefit children, but we are police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors."
According to the report, more than 1,000 Wisconsin kids could be diverted from criminal activity each year through well-funded Head Start and childcare programs. Flynn says research has proven that investments in early childhood education have significant impact on subsequent behavior.