No more chasing after the ice cream truck or hanging around the pool. As the temperatures begin to get chillier and the days a little shorter, many children across the state of Maine are headed back to school — and for many it is their first time.

That is why now is a good time to talk about how important early care and education of Maine kids is toward ensuring they are on a path to success — helping move Maine forward economically and keeping Maine’s communities safe. As representatives of Maine’s business community, the Maine State Legislature, and law enforcement, we strongly believe that reaching our state’s kids early in their lives, so they will learn the skills they need to be contributing members of society in the future, is the most important investment we as a state can make.

The earlier we start reaching kids in quality early childhood education programs like pre-K and Head Start, the more positive the outcomes will be for them, our communities, and Maine’s economy down the road. Our students will be healthier and stronger, ready to learn when they start school, and more likely to graduate from high school on time and pursue secondary education. They will be better, more highly skilled workers, and they also will be less likely to be involved in crime. This is especially true for Maine’s at-risk children and our kids from lower-income families across the state.

With nearly 20 percent of Maine’s children living in poverty, early care is especially impactful for our state’s lower-income kids. Family support and intervention programs like Early Head Start and home visiting programs are enormously helpful in laying a solid foundation for our kids very early on, when we know key brain development takes place. Parents and parents-to-be learn about the importance of a child’s early development and health needs in these programs. They also learn the importance of parental involvement in their child’s development, and the crucial parenting skills that will help their kids be the strong learners they deserve to be when they start formal school. These early child and family development programs go a long way in preparing our kids for a bright future of continued growth, learning and success.

Quality pre-K programs also greatly benefit our young learners, and they have future benefits for our communities and state in many ways. Children in these programs build and develop the social and emotional skills they need for school and life, and they improve on the cognitive skills and proficiency they will need throughout their schooling and later in the work they choose.

These programs are an excellent investment in our future workforce and our economy. They not only put our kids on the right track to succeed in school and in their professions, but they are part of an infrastructure that creates a more educated and highly skilled workforce that begins to address Maine’s growing and problematic skills gap. Additionally, they can have a positive impact on a business’ productivity by reducing absenteeism and turnover. Research highlighted by the organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids shows that there is even a significant monetary return on investment for every child served — nearly $30,000.

Early care and education programs are also very effective crime prevention tools, as at-risk kids who participate in quality early education programs are more likely to avoid later involvement in crime and violence. Research has shown that these early childhood programs cut crime, and put children on a path to productive and healthy lives early on. Quality early care and education programs are great solutions for steering Maine’s kids away from crime. In fact, they are cornerstones for stronger families and communities, and public safety.

Quality early care and education are proven workforce and economic development programs, as well as public safety programs. They create more productive businesses, a more prosperous economy, and they reduce crime and violence, helping build stronger and more successful Maine people and communities. The important investments we have made in these programs have already had many positive returns for kids and our state.

We are confident that further expansion of Maine’s early care and learning infrastructure will continue to reap many positive rewards, as we will reach even more Maine kids in need, and help put them on a path of success that will last a lifetime. We cannot think of a wiser investment in our state’s future.

Ben Gilman is senior government specialist at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. Robert Gregoire is chief of police in Augusta. Rep. Matthew Pouliot, R-Augusta, represents House District 86.

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