Peters – longitudinal findings

For the four to eight year old children we studied them not only when they went through the program but also when the children were in grade three, grade six, grade nine, and most recently when they were in grade 12. And the reason we focused on the long term follow up of those children is they showed the most positive lasting effects. So when they were in grade six for example, the positive outcomes were still there for children and their parents. In grade nine, interestingly, they were even stronger. Things like school performance was much better in the beginnings children than in the comparison children. Teachers rated them as being less hyperactive and inattentive in the classroom, as being more interested in school, lower rates of special education in the Better Beginnings schools. Parents reported better family functioning, more social support. When the children were in grade 12 the parents reported less clinical levels of depression in the parents, and also there were positive outcomes in terms of the views of community. The community was viewed as more cohesive and the parents and the children were more satisfied with their communities.  

The children at grade 12, by that time youth, they were 18 years of age, reported less crime, less property crimes, a lower percentage of property crimes, and also we did an economic analysis to see how much the Better Beginnings project cost and whether or not in the long term it actually saved money or not, and we found that by grade 12, the use of government services, government funded services, particularly special education and social welfare were lower in the Better Beginnings communities than in the comparison communities, and in fact the cost savings to the government offset the investment they had made in the program when the children were four to eight years of age. In fact, we were able to demonstrate that for every dollar that the government invested in the program two, two and a half dollars were saved by the time the children were in grade 12.  

That is we estimated that is cost approximately $750 per child per year for four years; around $3000 investment in the child over a four-year period.  

So one of the things that I think we have learned is the importance of tracking the cost of programs and seeing how much they actually cost to implement, but also seeing what the benefits, what the economic benefits, if any, are in the longer term.