Twenty-five murders and 1,700 aggravated assaults could be prevented in Kansas each year if more children attended a high-quality pre-kindergarten program, according to a report released Monday.

And more pre-kindergarten programs in Kansas could increase the state’s high school graduation rate by 10 percent, according to Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national anti-crime organization behind the report.

Kansas Attorney General Steve Six, a member of the group, said he hopes the report will help legislators understand the importance of funding early education programs.

“I can tell you from my time as a judge, if you don’t get kids early, there’s better odds you’re going to see them ending up in court or getting in some kind of trouble,” said Six, a former Douglas County district judge. “(The report’s) a good tool to demonstrate to people in an objective way how important programs like Head Start and Early Head Start are in helping kids get on the right path.”

In 2007, 86 percent of 3-year-olds and 66 percent of 4-year-olds were not enrolled in state pre-kindergarten programs, Head Start, or early childhood special education programs, the report said. Plus, the report said funding for Head Start is sufficient to serve only 57 percent of the Kansas children living in poverty who are eligible for the program.

The state is currently spending about $5 million on early childhood education programs, according to Anna Jenny, Douglas County Child Development Association director. In 2008, the state Legislature also approved $11.1 million in new funding for grants to support early childhood education programs in the state.

But the organization behind the study said even more funding is needed.

“Reports like this : emphasize the importance of it,” Six said. “We can get partners all across the state who can help talk to their own legislators and convince them and demonstrate how important funding is.”

While Six said the need to reduce the dropout rate is more significant in other parts of the state, he said it’s also needed in Lawrence. The dropout rate at Lawrence High School was 1.6 percent in 2005-06. It was 1.7 percent at Free State High School.

In Douglas County, 174 children are being serviced by state pre-kindergarten and the federally funded Head Start program, Jenny said. Another 76 children are on the waiting list for the programs.

“I think it’s wonderful that this advocacy group is really looking at how important pre-kindergarten and early learning experiences are for kids,” said Carolyn Kelly, director of the Lawrence Head Start program.

While there’s always a need for additional funding, Kelly said she’s confident the state is taking steps to increase the amount of money spent on early education programs.

“We are very, very fortunate that Kansas is one of the states that’s really jumped on board,” she said.