CHICAGO — Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today visited the Vincent de Paul Center in Lincoln Park to mark the state’s success in providing funding to give 25,000 more children in Illinois access to pre-school, a goal he set in his first State of the State address in 2003. The Chicago Longitudinal Study on Early Childhood Education reported in 2001 that low-income children who attend quality preschool were:
29% more likely to complete high school;
41% less likely to be placed in special education; and
42% less likely to be arrested as a juvenile for a violent offense.
