HARTFORD, Conn. -- According to a new study, the state could save millions of dollars in prison costs by getting more children in preschool. The non profit group Fight Crime: Invest In Kids conducted the study.

On Thursday, local police chiefs rallied together behind the study. They are calling for a federal bill that could pump $1 billion into early education.

The study found that kids who didn’t attend preschool were more likely to be sentenced to jail. The study also found that 28 percent of kids who did attend preschool were sent to jail in their lives while 52 percent of those who didn’t attend preschool went to jail.

Kids learn valuable social skills through early education preparing them for their later years of school, according to the study.

Police chiefs are hoping the government passes the federal early learning challenge fund. That would provide money for children to take preschool programs.