SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) successfully passed Assembly Bill 2525 (AB 2525) today on a 5-1 vote in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.  This legislation was brought to the Assembly Member’s attention by the Business-Education Alliance of Merced (BEAM), a partnership of committed business, education, government, and community leaders who support education, workforce development, and economic growth in Merced County.  BEAM unanimously voted last week to sponsor this bill introduced by Assemblymember Galgiani at the request of the Merced County District Attorney, Larry Morse.  Three witnesses from Merced County attended the hearing and testified in support of the bill.  The witnesses were Gaye Riggs, Assistant Superintendent, Early Care & Education, Merced County Office of Education; Carol Greenberg, Business-Education Alliance Facilitator, Merced County Office of Education; and Denard Davis, South Dos Palos George Washington Carver Center. 

Substantial research indicates that children who attend preschool are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, earn higher wages and are less likely to require remedial education, be on welfare, or involved in crime.  Other research confirms that at-risk children left out of preschool are five times more likely to grow up to become criminals by age of 27 than those children in pre-kindergarten.  AB 2525 requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Division of Juvenile Justice to include two questions regarding preschool attendance  - (1) Did you attend preschool?”, and (2) “If yes, for how long?” - as part of their initial intake questionnaire and/or assessment.  “AB 2525 will provide another tool to gather data to prove, as I am convinced from experiences over the years, that there is a correlation between a lack of early childhood education and the likelihood of criminal behavior”, said Denard Davis, a member of BEAM. 

“AB 2525 would provide counties with data not available from any other source in California and would provide information that can be considered “California’s Own”, and which we believe will assist in quantifying research that shows attending preschool does in fact reduce later criminal behavior and produces productive members of society,” stated Gaye Riggs with the Merced County Office of Education.

The Assemblymember is a strong advocate for pre-kindergarten education. “Quality preschool prepares children to learn, reinforces respect and responsibility for others and reduces behavior problems,” said Assemblymember Galgiani.  “One way to fight crime is to commit to investing in quality preschool education so we can prevent kids from becoming criminals in the first place”

“Preschool programs save more than $2 for every $1 invested; however, only 20 percent of California preschoolers are enrolled in programs of high quality”, said Carol Greenberg, a member of BEAM.  “Preschool education not only produces a return on its investment but also reduces crime and contributes to a productive workforce and a strong economy.”