Marsi, cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will speak on the need to increase spending in early childhood development. Addressing this issue must be a solid joint effort on the part of our government.
Mr. Speaker, I will begin with the work needed in prenatal care. It is essential that we provide as much support as possible to women who are at risk of consuming alcohol while pregnant, because our territory depends on it. I believe the difference in the government spending between a person with FASD and a person without this disorder is over $1 million.
Mr. Speaker, we must invest in daycares across the NWT. Early childhood spending for children who are one, two, and three years old have huge returns. I believe the return on social spending is near a ratio of seven to one. In other words, Mr. Speaker, for every dollar spent in this area, the government will save $7 on things like social housing, income support, and increased graduation rates.
Mr. Speaker, if children are given the right supports, it would make them excel in their earlier years in school. It increases their chances of graduating from high school, which is the first big benchmark in education. Students who achieve grade 12 have a much higher chance of getting a job than a person who does not achieve grade 12. In fact, it's about 25 percent higher. It also gives that student an ability to go onto post-secondary education if they wish, which again is another important benchmark.
Mr. Speaker, students who have post-secondary education in the NWT can almost write their own ticket on the type of job they want. In fact, students with post-secondary education have about a 20 percent better chance of getting a job than a grade 12 graduate.
Mr. Speaker, it has been mentioned in this House many times that a job is the best social program. It reduces social spending on families with jobs, and I believe a salary paid is a return of $2.50 to every dollar paid to the employee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.