[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5491-S5493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Bond, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Wellstone, 
        Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Moynihan, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Landrieu, and 
        Mr. Levin):
  S. 1068. A bill to provide for health, education, and welfare of 
children under 6 years of age; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.


                early childhood development act of 1999

 Mr. KERRY. Mr President, in the aftermath of the tragic school 
shootings in Littleton, and in this debate here in the Senate about 
juvenile justice, we've heard a great deal about efforts to keep guns 
out of the hands of violent students, we've heard about efforts to try 
juvenile offenders as adults, about stiffer sentences, about so many 
answers to the problem of kids who have run out of second and third 
chances--kids who are violent, kids who are committing crimes, children 
who are a danger to themselves and a danger to those around him. Mr. 
President, I was a prosecutor in Massachusetts before I entered elected 
office. I've seen these violent teenagers and young people come to 
court, and Mr. President let me tell you there is nothing more tragic 
than seeing these children who--in too many cases--have a jail cell in 
their future not far down the road, children who have done what is, at 
times, irreparable harm to their communities.
  And Mr. President, I keep asking myself, why is it we only start to 
care about these kids at that point--after the violence, after the 
arrest, after the damage has been done, when it may be too late--when 
we could have started intervening in our kids' lives early on, before 
it was too late. Mr. President, we can't say that we're having a real 
debate about juvenile justice if we're not talking about early 
childhood development efforts.
  The truth is that early intervention can have a powerful effect on 
reducing government welfare, health, criminal justice, and education 
expenditures in the long run. By taking steps now we can reduce later 
destructive behavior such as dropping out of school, drug use, and 
criminal acts like the ones we have seen in Littleton and Jonesboro.
  A study of the High/Scope Foundation's Perry Preschool found that at-
risk toddlers who received pre-schooling and a weekly home visit 
reduced the risk that these children would grow up to become chronic 
law breakers by a startling 80 percent. The Syracuse University Family 
Development Study showed that providing quality early-childhood 
programs to families until children reached age five reduces the 
children's risk of delinquency ten years later by 90 percent. It's no 
wonder that

[[Page S5492]]

a recent survey of police chiefs found that nine out of ten said that 
``America could sharply reduce crime if government invested more'' in 
these early intervention programs.
  Let me tell you about the Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) in 
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania--an innovative program which helps low-
income children from birth to age five become successful, productive 
adults by enrolling them in high quality, neighborhood-based early care 
and education programs ranging from Head Start, center-based child 
care, home-based child care, and school readiness programs. ECI draws 
on everything that's right about Allegheny County--the strengths of its 
communities--neighborhood decision-making, parent involvement, and 
quality measurement. Parents and community groups decide if they want 
to participate and they come together and develop a proposal tailored 
for the community. Regular review programs ensure quality programming 
and cost-effectiveness. We're talking about local control getting 
results locally: 19,000 pre-school aged children from low-income 
families, 10,000 of which were not enrolled in any child care or 
education program. By the year 2000, through funding supplied by ECI, 
approximately 75% of these under-served pre-schoolers will be reached. 
Early evaluations show that enrolled children are achieving at rates 
equivalent to their middle income peers. And as we know, without this 
leveling of the playing field, low-income children are at a greater 
risk of encountering the juvenile justice system. That's a real 
difference.
  These kinds of programs are successful because children's experiences 
during their early years of life lay the foundation for their future 
development. But in too many places in this country our failure to 
provide young children what they need during these crucial early years 
has long-term consequences and costs for America.
  Recent Scientific evidence conclusively demonstrates that enhancing 
children's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development 
will result in tremendous benefits for children, families, and our 
nation. The electrical activity of brain cells actually changes the 
physical structure of the brain itself. Without a stimulating 
environment, the baby's brain suffers. At birth, a baby's brain 
contains 100 billion neurons, roughly as many nerve cells as there are 
stars in the Milky Way. But the wiring pattern between these neurons 
develops over time. Children who play very little or are rarely touched 
develop brains 20 to 30 percent smaller than normal for their age.
  Mr. President, reversing these problems later in life is far more 
difficult and costly. We know that--if it wasn't so much harder, we 
wouldn't be having this difficult debate in the Senate. Well I think 
it's time we talked about giving our kids the right start in their 
lives they need to be healthy, to be successful, to mature in a way 
that doesn't lead to at-risk and disruptive behavior and violence down 
the road.
  We should stop and consider what's really at stake here. Poverty 
seriously impairs young children's language development, math skills, 
IQ scores, and their later school completion. Poor young children also 
are at heightened risk of infant mortality, anemia, and stunted growth. 
Of the 12 million children under the age of three in the United States 
today, three million--25 percent--live in poverty. Three out of five 
mothers with children under three work, but one study found that 40 
percent of the facilities at child care centers serving infants 
provided care of such poor quality as to actually jeopardize children's 
health, safety, or development. In more than half of the states, one 
out of every four children between 19 months and three years of age is 
not fully immunized against common childhood diseases. Children who are 
not immunized are more likely to contract preventable diseases, which 
can cause long-term harm. Children younger than three make up 27 
percent of the one million children who are determined to be abused or 
neglected each year. Of the 1,200 children who died from abuse and 
neglect in 1995, 85 percent were younger than five and 45 percent were 
younger than one.
  Literally the future of millions of young people is at stake here. 
Literally, that's what we're talking about. But is it reflected in the 
investments we make here in the Senate? I would, respectfully, say no--
not nearly enough Mr. President.
  Unfortunately, Mr. President, our government expenditure patterns are 
inverse to the most important early development period for human 
beings. Although we know that early investment can dramatically reduce 
later remedial and social costs, currently our nation spends no more 
than $35 billion over five years on federal programs for at-risk or 
delinquent youth and child welfare programs.
  That is a course we need to change, Mr. President. We need to start 
talking in a serious and a thoughtful way--through a bipartisan 
approach--about making a difference in the lives of our children before 
they're put at risk. We need to accept the truth that we can do a lot 
more to help our kids grow up healthy with promising futures in an 
early childhood development center, in a classroom, and in a doctor's 
office than we can in a courtroom or in a jail cell.
  Mr. President, these questions need to be a part of this juvenile 
justice debate, but they're not being included to the extent to which 
they should. My colleague Kit Bond and I are introducing our Early 
Childhood Development Act to move us forward in a bipartisan way 
towards that discussion--and towards actions we can take to provide 
meaningful intervention in the lives of all of our children. Kit Bond 
and I are appreciative of the deep support we've found for this 
legislation, evident in the co-sponsorship of the Kerry-Bond bill by 
Senator Hollings, Senator Johnson, Senator Landrieu, Senator Levin, 
Senator Moynihan, Senator Wellstone, and my colleague from New Jersey, 
Senator Bob Torricelli. We are looking forward to working with all of 
you, from both sides of the aisle, to make that debate on the Kerry-
Bond bill a productive one, a debate that leads to the kind of actions 
we know can make the difference in addressing violence ten years before 
it starts, in getting all our children off to the right start towards 
full and productive lives.
 Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Early 
Childhood Development Act of 1999'' with my friend and colleague from 
Massachusetts, Senator Kerry.
  Through this legislation, we are seeking to support families with the 
youngest children to find the early childhood education and quality 
child care programs that can help those families and parents provide 
the supportive, stimulating environment we all know their children 
need.
  Recent research shows that the first few years of life are an 
absolutely crucial developmental period for each child with a 
significant bearing on future prospects. During this time, infant brain 
development occurs more rapidly than previously thought, and the 
sensations and experiences of this time go a long way toward shaping 
that baby's mind in a way that has long-lasting effects on all aspects 
of the child's life.
  And parents and family are really the key to this development. Early, 
positive interaction with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and 
other adults plays a critical role.
  Here's what's going on during these amazing early years that in so 
many ways are crucial to each child. At birth, a baby's brain contains 
100 billion neurons, roughly as many nerve cells as there are stars in 
the Milky Way. But the wiring pattern between these neurons develops 
over time. Most things happening in the surrounding world--such as a 
mother's caress, a father's voice, even playing with a brother or 
sister--helps this wiring pattern expand and connect. A baby with a 
stimulating environment will make these connections at a tremendous 
rate. However, infants and children who play very little or are rarely 
touched or stimulated develop brains that can be 20 to 30 percent 
smaller than normal for their age.
  Really we shouldn't be surprised that parents have known 
instinctively for generations some of these basic truths that science 
is just now figuring out. Most parents just know that babies need to be 
hugged, caressed, and spoken to.
  Of course, the types of interaction that can most enhance a child's 
development change as the baby's body and mind grow. The types of 
behavior that are so instinctual for the youngest babies may not be 
quite so obvious for

[[Page S5493]]

two- and three-year-olds. Raising a child is perhaps the most important 
thing any of us will do, but it is also one of the most complicated.
  And parents today also face a variety of stresses and problems that 
were unheard of a generation ago. In many families, both parents work. 
Whether by choice or by necessity, many parents may not be able to read 
mountains of books and articles about parenting and child development 
to keep perfectly up-to-date on what types of experiences are most 
appropriate for their child at his or her particular stage of 
development. They also must try to find good child care and good 
environments where their children can be stimulated and educated while 
they work. Simply put, most parents can probably use a little help.
  Many communities across the country have developed successful early 
childhood development programs to meet these needs. Most of the 
programs work with parents to help them understand their child's 
development and to discuss ways to help further develop the little 
baby's potential. Others simply provide basic child care and an 
exciting learning environment for children of parents who both have to 
work.
  In a report released in 1998, the prestigious RAND Corporation 
reviewed early childhood programs like these and found that they 
provide higher-risk children with both short- and long-run benefits. 
These benefits include enhanced development of both the mind and the 
child's ability to interact with others, they include improvement in 
educational outcomes, and they include a long-term increase in self-
sufficiency through finding jobs and staying off government programs.
  Of course, it's no mystery to many people from Missouri that this 
type of program can be successful. In Missouri, we are both proud and 
lucky to be the home of Parents as Teachers. This tremendous initiative 
is an early childhood parent education program that has been designed 
to empower all parents to giver their young child the best possible 
start in life. Expanding Parents as Teachers to a statewide program was 
perhaps my proudest accomplishment when I was Missouri's Governor.
  With additional resources, these programs could be expanded and 
enhanced to improve the opportunities for many more infants and young 
children. And we have found that all children can benefit from these 
programs. Economically successful, two-income families can benefit from 
early childhood programs just as much as a single-parent family with a 
mother seeking work opportunities.
  The legislation that Senator Kerry and I are introducing will support 
families by building on local initiatives like Parents as Teachers that 
have already been proven successful in working with families as they 
raise their infants and toddlers. The bill will help improve and expand 
these successful programs, of which there are numerous other examples, 
such as programs sponsored by the United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs, as 
well as state initiatives such as ``Success by Six'' in Massachusetts 
and Vermont and the ``Early Childhood Initiative'' in Pennsylvania.
  The bill will provide federal funds to states to begin or expand 
local initiatives to provide early childhood education, parent 
education, and family support. The bill will also expand quality child 
care programs for families, especially infant care. Best of all, we 
propose to do this with no federal mandates, and few federal 
guidelines.
  Many of our society's problems, such as the high school dropout rate, 
drug and tobacco use, and juvenile crime can be traced in part to 
inadequate child care and early childhood development opportunities. 
Increasingly, research is showing us that a child's social and 
intellectual development as well as there likelihood to become involved 
in these types of difficulties is deeply rooted in the early 
interaction and nurturing a child receives in his or her early years.
  Ultimately, it is important to remember that the likelihood of a 
child growing up in a healthy, nurturing environment is the primary 
responsibility of his or her parents and family. Government cannot and 
should not become a substitute for parents and families, but we can 
help them become stronger by equipping them with the resources to meet 
the everyday challenges of parenting.
                                 ______