When it comes to reducing crime in a community, there are few things as effective as education. Programs such as the Gray Foundation are based on the premise that educating children and teens will eventually lead to better community outcomes. Here are some benefits to education when tackling the problem of crime in low income areas.
Education Helps Early Childhood Development
Young children have a window in which their mental and emotional development is extraordinarily important. Though children can recover from being intellectually neglected during this time, it's an uphill battle. Children who experience better education when they are 3 to 4 years old will have a vastly lowered chance of engaging in crime later on. Early childhood education programs aid in the development of maturity and critical thinking.
Education Reduces Poverty
Often, crime is not a matter of malice but rather one of desperation. As a population becomes wealthier, crime drops as there are fewer people who need to commit crimes due to poverty. An education will help individuals get better jobs and remain stable financially, which will in turn reduce poverty and reduce crime. The better the education, the more impact this can make.
Education Keeps Children Active
After school programs and extracurricular activities keep children focused and active, rather than potentially getting into trouble or being introduced to bad environments. During their formative years, children can be easily influenced by their environment and by peer pressure.
By keeping children active in wholesome activities, educational programs can sidestep these problems. A major problem in the inner city and low income areas has been that children often have nowhere to go outside of school.
Education Gives Children Role Models
Educators can reach out directly to children to teach them the difference between right and wrong and to focus them on their career paths. Children who look up to educators are more likely to follow the rules and pursue a calling, rather than instead looking up to potential bad influences.
In areas that are low income, children may not have both parents to look to or may have fractured families. Having educators as role models fulfills a vital need that otherwise might not be filled.
It's long been shown that lower income regions, crime, and a lack of education all correlate. By using education as a cornerstone, crime can be reduced and wealth can be built, even in struggling communities.
