The 13% Return
If there were a way to cut juvenile offending in half in your community, would you want to see it implemented? What if there were a pathway for reducing violent offending by two-thirds?
These aren't hypothetical questions, but the remarkable results of a 20-year Australian study that tracked preschoolers and their families. The findings are clear: early intervention targeting relationships and development alters life trajectories in powerful ways.
The Evidence is Compelling
The Pathways to Prevention project, a collaboration between Griffith University, Education Queensland and Mission Australia, followed children from disadvantaged Brisbane communities. Their approach was simple yet comprehensive:
- Enhanced preschool programs focusing on communication skills
- Family support including counseling and practical assistance
- Partnership between specialist teachers, regular educators, and parents
The results were extraordinary:
- 50% reduction in serious youth crime by age 17 from the school program alone
- 100% prevention rate when family support was combined with the enhanced curriculum
- 20% lower youth offending rates across the entire region
Critically, family support alone wasn't enough, but when combined with relationship-focused programming, it became remarkably effective.
The Economic Case is Even Stronger
Nobel Prize winner James Heckman's research shows that quality early childhood programs yield a 13% return on investment per child, per year. This isn't just feel-good policy, but smart economics.
"The highest rate of return in early childhood development comes from investing as early as possible, from birth through age five," Heckman notes. "Starting at age three or four is too little too late."
The savings come from reduced costs in:
- Special education services
- Mental health interventions
- Criminal justice system expenses
- Lost productivity and economic opportunity
Prevention Beats Punishment
While political discourse often focuses on punishment and detention, researcher Professor Ross Homel points out that "expensive, punitive youth crime policies do not make the community safer."
Instead, the evidence shows that supportive, relationship-centered strategies implemented early create lasting change. These programs work because they strengthen the foundation that matters most: the connections between children and their caregivers.
This is precisely why investing in Circle of Security makes sense. When we focus on enhancing the quality of early relationships through attachment science, we're not just addressing immediate behaviors, but building the relational foundation that supports healthy development across all areas of life.
When we invest in safe, stable, nurturing relationships early in a child's life, we prevent the cascade of challenges that can lead to later struggles. This investment strengthens the human capacity for connection that creates resilience and security.
The evidence is clear: when we strengthen relationships early, we transform not just individual trajectories, but entire communities. The question isn't whether we can afford to invest in early childhood development and family support, it's whether we can afford not to.
Learn more about the Circle of Security.
