Children with behavioral problems are more likely to drop out of school, to abuse drugs and to go to jail. In New York City alone 10,000 students are suspended from school each year, mostly for aggressive or violent behaviors. ParentCorps' 26-week parenting program decreases aggressive behavior in pre-schoolers, preventing behavioral problems before they become ingrained.
"ParentCorps has been tested in eight schools with over 200 preschoolers and their families and it lowers levels of aggression in these children and makes them more ready for school," said Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., Director of the NYU Child Study Center. "We are very grateful to Jimmy and Jane Buffett for their commitment to ParentCorps and to Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff for their long standing support of the NYU Child Study Center."
It costs taxpayers at least $100,000 annually to keep a juvenile offender in jail. ParentCorps' annual cost is $1,000 per child a minimal investment with a huge return. With a new grant from the U. S. Department of Education, ParentCorps is now being tested in an additional 20 schools in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods with over 1,000 preschoolers and their families.
"ParentCorps keeps kids out of jail and that benefits everyone," said Jimmy Buffett. "This event will allow the Center to provide ParentCorps to more families and work toward making ParentCorps a national program that provides all children an equal opportunity to succeed in life."
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Contact: Danielle Grillo
danielle.grillo@med.nyu.edu
212-263-2479
New York University Child Study Center
22-Jun-2005