Afterschool Programs Save Taxpayers Money, New Study Concludes; Calif.'s Proposition 49 Would Save Taxpayers $3 for Every $1 Spent 10/28/2002
From: Lisa Lederer of the Afterschool Alliance, 202-371-1999 Evie Lazzarino of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College, 909-607-9099 CLAREMONT, Calif., Oct. 28 -- Every dollar invested in afterschool programs will save taxpayers approximately $3, according to The Costs and Benefits of After School Programs: The Estimated Effects of the After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002. The independent new study was released today by the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College. It provides the first in-depth cost/benefit analysis of the California ballot measure popularly known as Proposition 49. The study was funded by the Afterschool Alliance. The Rose Institute study concludes that afterschool programs are cost-effective. Using data from several highly regarded studies from around the nation, analysts concluded that the return to taxpayers ranges from $2.19 to $3.22 for every dollar spent on afterschool programs. The return to crime victims ranges from $4.44 to $6.64 for every dollar spent on afterschool programs. And the benefit to students attending afterschool programs ranges from $2.29 to $3.04 for every dollar spent on afterschool programs. "Most of the tremendous financial benefits offered by afterschool programs come from diverting a small number of at-risk youngsters from a life of crime," said Rose Institute Senior Fellow Steven B. Frates. "But even excluding the crime reduction data, we find that afterschool programs are highly cost-effective." Frates and other Rose Institute experts examined the expected impact of California's After School Education and Safety Program Act, concluding that it would: -- Reduce child care costs. Afterschool programs would save the families of participating students $889 to $1,777 over the life of the program. -- Increase schooling costs. By reducing drop out rates, afterschool programs cost taxpayers more money because schools must educate students for more years. The extra cost is $742 to $989 per student who does not drop out. -- Improve students' performance in school. Fewer students will be held back and remedial counseling costs would be lower, saving $447 to $809 per student in an afterschool program. -- Reduce crime costs. Each at-risk child who becomes a career criminal costs society an average of $1.4 to $1.7 million over a lifetime. Diverting less than one percent of at-risk youth from a life of crime would save society several times the cost of the program. Analysts also found that attending an afterschool program is likely to increase a student's earnings after high school, and reduce the state's welfare program costs. "We have known for years that afterschool programs help kids and communities," Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Judy Y. Samelson said, "but this study demonstrates conclusively that afterschool programs also help taxpayers by saving them money over the long term. This study breaks new ground and its findings apply to afterschool programs all across the country. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families, improve academic achievement - and save taxpayers money. It is time for lawmakers to invest in the future by funding the afterschool programs that Americans want and need." The After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002 would provide grants to elementary and middle schools for afterschool programs. When fully funded, it will provide $433 million in additional state funds for afterschool programs. Schools would be required to provide a 50 percent match to all state funding. Revenues would not increase until the economy improves sufficiently to provide the state with enough additional revenue to fund the program. The Rose Institute study included: a comprehensive review of existing literature on afterschool and similar diversion programs; an examination of the limitations of existing research; a Sensitivity Analysis indicating that, even excluding crime reduction benefits, Proposition 49 is cost-effective; and a discussion of the relative benefits to taxpayers, crime victims and participants. The Rose Institute at Claremont McKenna College brings students and faculty together to advance knowledge about politics and government, and help create services that make the political process more democratic. More than 300 students have participated in research projects at the Rose Institute. The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization supported by a group of public, private, and nonprofit entities dedicated to ensuring that all children and youth have access to afterschool programs by 2010. The Alliance is proud to count among its founding partners the C.S. Mott Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, JCPenney Afterschool, Open Society Institute/The After-School Corporation, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the Creative Artists Agency Foundation. ------ NOTE: The Costs and Benefits of After School Programs is available at http://rose.research.claremontmckenna.edu/publications/pdf/after( under)school.pdf or http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/research_links.cfm. |