[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 65 (Thursday, May 6, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S4902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD:
  S. 981. A bill to provide training to professionals who work with 
children affected by violence, to provide for violence prevention, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.


     VIOLENCE PREVENTION TRAINING FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS ACT

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the 
``Violence Prevention Training for Early Childhood Educators Act,'' 
legislation designed to teach violence prevention to children at the 
earliest ages.
  all of us have been shaken by the tragedy at Littleton, Colorado. 
Americans are left searching for answers to many questions. How could 
these teenagers have committed such brutality? What happened to the 
innocence and joy of youth? How can society help prevent such violent, 
deadly behavior from happening again?
  One of the most effective solutions is to begin violence prevention 
at an early age. My proposal was not thrown together as a quick-fix to 
the Littleton tragedy. It is a carefully thought-out program aimed at 
true prevention. It is designed to help early childhood educators-- the 
people who work directly with young children in preschools, child care 
centers, and elementary schools--learn the skills necessary to prevent 
violent behavior in young children. This legislation supports programs 
that prepare these professionals so that early childhood teachers, 
child care providers, and counselors are able to teach children how to 
resolve conflicts without violence. In addition, these professionals 
are in the perfect position to reach out and extend these lessons to 
parents and help whole families adopt these powerful skills.
  Research has demonstrated that aggressive behavior nearly childhood 
is the single best predictor of aggression in later years. Children 
observe and imitate aggressive behavior over the course of many years. 
They certainly have plenty of exposure to violence, both in the streets 
and at home. For example, a Boston ho0spital found that 1 out of every 
10 children seen in their primary care clinic had witnessed a shooting 
or stabbing before the age of 6. I am disheartened to report that in my 
home state of Connecticut, 1 in 10 teens have been physically abused. 
Alarmingly, more than a third of teenage boys report that they have 
guns or could get one in less than a day. Aggression may become very 
well-learned by the time a child reaches adolescence. Therefore, we 
must provide children with strategies for altering the negative 
influences of exposure to violence. Early childhood offers a critical 
period for overcoming the risk of violent behavior and later juvenile 
delinquency. And the proper training of professional who work with 
young children offers an effective route to reaching these kids.
  This is not to suggest that early childhood professionals would 
replace parents as a source of teaching prosocial and acceptable 
behavior. Instead, these teachers should be encouraged to work with the 
whole family to address conflict without violence and aggression.
  In 1992, as part of the Higher Education Act reauthorization, 
Congress enacted similar legislation to provide grants for programs 
that train professionals in early childhood education and violence 
counseling. These grants funded some remarkable programs. In my home 
state, a program at Eastern Connecticut State University trained 
students--half of whom were minority, low-income indivdiuals--to be 
teachers in their own communities, and trained child care providers in 
violence prevention with young children.
  Unfortunately, just as these efforts were getting off the ground and 
starting to show promising results, the funding for the program was 
rescinded as part of the major 1994 rescission bill. Looking back, 
after the horrible events in Littleton, Colorado, Springfield, Oregon, 
and too many other communities, I think we can clearly see that was a 
mistake, Hindsight is always clearer--but let's not make the same 
mistake going forward. As we now work towards the reauthorization of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, I hope that my proposal for 
a similar grant program for early violence prevention training is 
included in these discussions.
  Preventing future acts of violence is an issue that rises above 
partisan politics. I think we can all agree that steps need to be taken 
to reduce the development of violent behavior in children. Please join 
me in this effort to begin creating a safer society for everyone, 
especially our children.
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