Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions

To begin, consider some of the benefits of early-intervention programs to individuals other than the child and his or her immediate family. For example, a program that reduces the amount of crime committed by a treated child also lessens the victimization experienced by other people. These other people enjoy decreased loss from crime, primarily in the form of decreased property losses and less pain and suffering. If a program reduces the incidence of unhealthy behaviors in later life, such as drinking in conjunction with driving, everyone’s insurance premiumsin this case, for automobile and possibly health insurance-could go down. Benefits also accrue more subtly. For example, an entire classroom of schoolchildren is better off if those class members who are less cognitively able are brought up to the level of the others. These indirect benefits that accrue to other individuals must be included when one considers the total value of such programs.