As law enforcement leaders, our first priority is to protect public safety and put criminals in jail. However, it is also our duty to work to prevent crime before more innocent people are hurt.

Right now in New Hampshire, there are 5,000 men and women behind bars, costing our state $100 million every year. Stopping criminality before it takes hold is clearly an advantage in the war on crime.

One of the most effective ways of reducing crime is providing at-risk kids access to quality early education. Research shows that giving children a chance to experience high-quality early learning can reduce later incarceration by a quarter or more - eventually saving our state $25 million every year through reduced prison costs.

Quality early learning for at-risk kids from birth to school entry has proven effective at ensuring success in school, improving high school graduation rates and cutting crime.

A long-term study of the high-quality Perry Preschool in Michigan found that by age 40 the kids left out of the program were 85 percent more likely to be sentenced to jail or prison.

Another study of Chicago's Child-Parent Centers found that the high-risk individuals who had not participated in the program were 24 percent more likely to have been incarcerated by age 24 than the participants.

The need for high-quality early learning opportunities is significant, yet many of these crucial programs are under-funded.

Head Start, the federally-funded program for children in poverty, serves only half of eligible children nationwide. The youngest children, from birth to age 3, are even more dramatically underserved. In fact, Early Head Start serves only about 3 percent of eligible infants and toddlers nationally.

That's why we're calling on Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Judd Gregg, as well as our representatives in Congress, to actively support passage of the proposed federal Early Learning Challenge Fund, which would expand and improve early learning initiatives in the states.

If enabled, the Early Learning Challenge Fund will provide $1 billion per year to support the best practices in early childhood development, including higher qualifications for teachers and caregivers, smaller class sizes and early screening and treatment of children's mental, emotional and behavioral problems.

The initiative will also help more states incorporate parent coaching, which teaches at-risk families ways to promote their children's development.

Money is tight, but investing early will reap greater benefits in the long run. Providing more at-risk kids with quality early learning opportunities will help us prevent future crime and reduce prison costs for years to come.

(Katherine Rogers is the Merrimack County attorney. Scott Hilliard is the Merrimack County sheriff.)