More programs for low-income kids can help society, researchers say

By Staff Writer

Some children who live in low-income neighborhoods are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems because of their high exposure to violence, substance abuse and domestic conflict.

However, University of Columbia researchers have discovered that intensive early education programs for low-income children can improve their long-term behavioral health and academic performance. The study, which appears in the American Journal of Public Health, examined how early education impacted individuals during their adolescent years by measuring their levels of depression, drug use and other health factors.

Researchers based their findings on data from the Carolina Abecedarian Project (ABC), which was a control study that examined infants beginning in the 1970s and tracked them through age 21. They found that kids who were enrolled in intensive early education institutes had significantly better health behaviors later in life.

Authors of the study said that early education for low-income children could help reduce crime rates in America and lower dropout rates at schools.

Problem teens who engage in delinquent behaviors may benefit from boarding schools, which are designed to help students live healthy and productive lifestyles.