III 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 119 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 25, 2005 Mr. Salazar (for himself, Ms. Landrieu, and Mr. Bingaman) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating April 21, 2005, as National Kindergarten Recognition Day.

Whereas Friedrich Froebel, known as the Father of Kindergarten, opened the first kindergarten classroom on April 21, 1837, with the goal of shaping young children in a nurturing, educational, and protected environment; Whereas kindergarten has a long history of enhancing children’s cognitive, physical, and social development in the United States and throughout the world; Whereas Margarethe Meyer Schurz opened the first German-speaking kindergarten in the United States in 1856, Elizabeth Peabody opened the first English-speaking kindergarten in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1873, and the first public school kindergarten classrooms were established under the leadership of Susan Blow and William Torrey Harris in St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1870s; Whereas kindergarten is a critical year in children’s formal education, as well as in their continued physical, social, and emotional development, that prepares them for later school success and lifelong learning; Whereas quality kindergarten programs use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate curricula, teaching practices, and assessments to support each child’s learning and development progress to reach his or her maximum potential; Whereas teachers who teach kindergarten need to have specialized knowledge and skills in working with young children to respond to the unique interests, learning styles, and developmental characteristics of children in their kindergarten year; Whereas kindergarten programs need to be ready for all children who are eligible, including children with disabilities and children who are not native English speakers, and their families; Whereas kindergarten programs should collaborate and coordinate with preschools and with the other early elementary grades in order to provide a continuum of appropriate, effective early learning for all children as they transition to and through the early grades of school; Whereas in 2001, more than more 3,700,000 children between the ages of 4 and 6 years old attended kindergarten, including full-day, half-day, or alternate day programs; Whereas the percentage of children attending full-day kindergarten programs has grown from 28 percent in 1977 to 60 percent in 2001; and Whereas establishment of a National Kindergarten Recognition Day will help draw attention to the critical role kindergarten plays as the transitional year from early education programs to the elementary and secondary education system: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)designates April 21, 2005, as National Kindergarten Recognition Day to raise public awareness about the impact of the kindergarten year on the development of our nation’s children; and (2)urges the people of the United States to recognize the historic tradition of kindergarten in the United States and its contribution to preparing children for their elementary and secondary educational achievement and experiences.