Detroit Residents and Community Leaders Discuss Early Education

On January 21, 2016, nearly 100 community leaders and residents from Detroit’s Brightmoor community gathered at the Citadel of Praise to talk about how early investments in children can benefit the whole community.

Hosted by the Brightmoor Alliance, a coalition of nearly 50 organizations dedicated to service northwest Detroit’s Brightmoor community, residents met in small groups to discuss something each resident could do to support early childhood education in the community. Ideas included things like making a commitment to read with their own child or grandchild each night or vowing to spread the benefits and need for early learning with other parents in the community.

The meeting also included remarks from Brightmoor Alliance’s Rev. Larry Simmons and Council for a Strong America’s Tom Pearce, who shared recent research that found significant lifetime savings for each at­-risk Michigan youth that achieves school readiness. In fact, the report showed that the value of investing in school readiness for just one more child­ at risk of academic failure in Detroit could save an estimated $96,000. This is based on savings in part in special education and grade repetition and criminal justice costs.

Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, Major General (Ret.) William Henderson, and Forgotten Harvest Chief Executive Officer Kirk Mayes also spoke at the event about other benefits of early learning—including crime prevention, national security and business competitiveness.