[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 50 (Thursday, April 24, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page H1850]]



               LET US GIVE OUR KIDS A HEAD START ON LIFE

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous 
material.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, last week I joined with several of my 
colleagues in attending a White House Conference on Early Childhood 
Development. This conference focused on new scientific research that 
confirms what many parents have suspected for a long time: that the 
first few years of a child's life are critical, absolutely critical to 
that child's intellectual, emotional, and social development.
  Last week I joined with the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. 
DeLauro] and the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] in introducing 
H.R. 1373, the Early Learning and Opportunity Act. One key component of 
our bill is increased Federal funding for the Head Start and Early 
Start programs, two true success stories in the effort to prepare our 
children for a lifetime of education.
  I have taken to this well many times to speak of my support for 
improving the scope and quality of American education. But we must 
never forget that a child starts learning long before they enter their 
first classroom. If one believes, as I do, that education is truly the 
key to our Nation's economic future, we must begin early. The DeLauro-
Hoyer-McGovern bill takes a solid first step in ensuring that our 
Nation's children can learn, share, and mature to their fullest 
potential.
  Mr. Speaker, I include the following material for the Record that 
contains some additional facts regarding early childhood development.

                 The Early Learning and Opportunity Act

            (Original cosponsors: DeLauro, Hoyer, McGovern)


                                findings

       The first three years of life are a critical period of 
     brain development, intellectual growth, and emotional, 
     social, affective, and moral development, which prepares a 
     child for later life.
       Scientific research shows that how individuals function 
     from preschool through adolescence and adulthood hinges to a 
     significant extent on the experiences children have in their 
     first three years.
       One in three victims of physical abuse is under one year 
     old.
       The National Educational Goals Panel has reported that 
     nearly half of infants do not have what they need to grow and 
     thrive.
       High quality care from a parent or other adult is necessary 
     to facilitate growth and development before the age of three.
       More than half of mothers with babies under one year of age 
     are working outside the home.
       More than 50% of working women are not covered by the 
     Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides a twelve week, 
     unpaid maternity leave.
       The United States is the only industrialized country in the 
     world which does not provide paid maternity leave. 30 
     developing countries provide paid maternity leave.
       5 million children under age three are in the care of other 
     adults while their parents work outside the home.
       According to the Carnegie Foundation ``Starting Points'' 
     report, most parents of babies have few child care options. 
     Many cannot afford to stay home with their children, or to 
     pay for safe, high quality developmental child care.
       State-wide and multi-state studies have found that less 
     than 20% of child care for babies is of good quality; nearly 
     half is so substandard that it adversely affects infant and 
     toddler development and may put babies' health and safety at 
     risk.
       Families with children under the age of three are the 
     single largest group living in poverty. 25% of children under 
     the age of three--3 million children--are living below the 
     poverty line, and are at greater risk for malnutrition, poor 
     health, and maltreatment, and are less likely to receive the 
     care they need from parents or other child care providers to 
     grow and develop normally.
                                                                    ____


                   Early Learning and Opportunity Act


           status of american infants and toddlers fact sheet

       Poor developmental outcomes early in life have been shown 
     to be significant risk factors for academic failure, teen 
     pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency later in life.
       In 1993, the National Educational Goals Panel reported that 
     nearly half of infants in the United States do not have what 
     they need to grow and thrive.
       According to the Carnegic Foundation ``Turning Points'' 
     report, most parents today have few choices for infant and 
     toddler care. Even middle class parents cannot afford to stay 
     at home with their children, and yet cannot afford high 
     quality child care which will promote normal development.
       Fewer than half of America's working women are covered by 
     the Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides a 12-week, 
     unpaid leave to parents of companies which employ more than 
     50 employees.
       The United States is the only industrialized country in the 
     world which does not provide paid maternity leave.
       Thirty developing countries provide paid maternity leave.
       More than half of mothers with babies under one year of age 
     are working outside the home.
       More than 5 million American children under age 3 are in 
     the care of other adults while their parents work outside the 
     home.
       Studies of care for very young children show that less than 
     20 percent of such care is of good quality.
       One multistate study showed that 40 percent of child care 
     for babies was so poor that it adversely affected the babies' 
     development and threatened their health and safety.
       One in three victims of physical abuse is a baby less than 
     one year of age.
       Families with children under age 3 are the single largest 
     group living in poverty.
       Three million children--25% of all children under age 3--
     are living below the poverty line, at greater risk for 
     malnutrition, poor health, and maltreatment, and are less 
     likely to receive the care they need from parents or other 
     child care providers to grow and develop normally.

                          ____________________