[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 68 (Thursday, May 23, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4853-S4861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. Gregg, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
        Voinovich, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Bond, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Stevens 
        and Mr. DeWine):
  S. 2566. A bill to improve early learning opportunities and promote 
school preparedness, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is a privilege to join my fellow 
Senators today to introduce the Early Care and Education Act. I commend 
my colleagues for their commitment and leadership on this issue of 
national priority, Senator Judd Gregg, the ranking member of the 
H.E.L.P. Committee with whom I am proud to share leadership with on 
this issue; Senator Patty Murray, a former early educator herself who 
brings to the H.E.L.P. Committee a depth of knowledge from the front 
lines of education in our country; Senator George Voinovich for his 
leadership through the Families and Children First initiative as 
Governor of Ohio and his long-standing commitment to this issue; 
Senator Paul Wellstone, who continues to show support for parent and 
family education, and has demonstrated impressive results with the care 
of infants in Minnesota; Senator Ted Stevens, who has a long commitment 
to children and championed the Early Learning Opportunities Act; 
Senator John Edwards, whose dedication to the interests of children 
with special needs is greatly appreciated; and Senator Chris Bond, for 
his innovation with the Parents as Teachers program in Missouri.
  Today, in America, there are over 19 million children under age 5, 
and over 11 million of these children have parents who work. Sixty-two 
percent of children from birth to age 5 spend time cared for by someone 
other than their parents, and too many are spending increasing hours in 
a hodge-podge of programs, in a variety of settings, cared for and 
taught by sometimes unqualified and certainly under-compensated 
providers. As a result, almost half of our Nation's children start 
school unprepared for the challenges before them. This result is costly 
for our parents, our teachers and providers, and most importantly, for 
our children.
  The Early Care and Education Act that we introduce today is based on 
decades of science and research that show that what parents and 
providers do for young children during their earliest years will impact 
school performance and later success in life. This bill will build upon 
current Federal, State, and local efforts to address the early care and 
education needs of young children. And, it will promote school 
readiness by creating a system of early care and early education that 
includes quality services and programs staffed by an educated, 
motivated, and stable workforce that is paid in accordance to their 
very important responsibilities as the earliest educators of our 
children.
  During the first five years of life, our children have a number of 
experiences that have strong influence on their social, emotional, and 
cognitive development. Together, these early encounters set the stage 
for later learning and performance. This has been confirmed by research 
and life experience. Based on this knowledge, we must give the same

[[Page S4854]]

high priority and commitment to early education that we devote to the 
elementary, secondary, and college levels. Education is a continuum 
that begins at birth, and we must invest in our children from the 
beginning if we expect the best for them and from them. this means an 
investment in their parents, caregivers, and teachers as well.
  To ensure that children enter school prepared to learn, we must 
coordinate and improve the quality of services children and families 
receive, eliminate duplication, and maximize the use of existing 
federal and state resources. The Early Care and Education Act will 
accomplish this by providing incentive grants so that states may: Offer 
education, training, and professional development opportunities to 
improve the skills and compensation of the early care and education 
workforce; conduct needs assessments and evaluations of State and local 
programs and services for young children; provide training and 
technical assistance to help health care providers conduct analyses of 
child development as a part of routine physical examinations; improve 
parent, provider and public awareness of the early childhood 
development activities that will help children reach social, emotional, 
and cognitive milestones, and; support voluntary parent and family 
education programs that address early literacy, school preparedness, 
and overall development growth.

  These activities I've just described have been demonstrated in 
research and practice to address the social, emotional, physical, and 
cognitive development needs that simultaneously influence a child's 
ability and willingness to learn.
  I bring the Early Education and Care Act to the floor today with a 
strong voice. My fellow Americans, parents, and providers have placed 
education, and specifically, early education, as a top national 
priority. Study after study has called for better access and quality 
for early education. And, in the past few months alone, numerous 
reports have accurately described the shortcomings of early care and 
education in our country, as well as the need to respond. We began to 
identify solutions years ago with Perry Preschool and the Carolina 
Abecedarian Project. These proven solutions have been more recently 
demonstrated in programs like the Chicago Child-Parent Center program 
and described in publications, such as Eager to Learn and From Neurons 
to Neighborhoods. After years of research articulating the need, and 
years of intervention showing us what works, we can no longer afford to 
ignore these calls to action.
  I have long-been committed to the education and welfare of children 
in this country. They are who will keep the greatness and prosperity of 
this nation going in the years to come. The first few months of 2002 
have already created some dynamic changes for our young citizens. In 
January, I joined President Bush as he signed the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act, ESEA, into law. This display of bipartisan 
commitment paved the road for future collaboration on other areas much 
in need of attention and commitment, including quality early care and 
education.
  Since then, the President has stated his commitment to school 
readiness with the Administration's announcement of the ``Good Start, 
Grow Smart'' initiative, and the First Lady has repeatedly expressed 
her dedication to this issue by testifying before the Senate Education 
Committee, at White House events, and at engagements across the 
country, including the second annual early childhood education summit 
earlier this month in Little Rock, Arkansas.
  Today, I sand with the President, the First Lady, and America's 
parents, providers, and teachers to call for quality early care and 
education for our nation's youngest children. The public and policy 
makers agree on its importance, and we now have the opportunity--and 
obligation--to act.
  Investing in our children early is not an option. It is our 
responsibility as a nation. With stronger K-12 student requirements 
through ESEA, we cannot fairly hold our children accountable for poor 
performance later in school if we don't give them the best 
opportunities at success from the start. We must narrow the gap between 
what we know and what we do. The Early Care and Education Act will help 
us to narrow that gap.
  As I close, I would like to recognize the many researchers, 
practitioners, and advocates who have contributed their expertise and 
practical insight as we crafted this legislation. I ask unanimous 
consent a multitude of letters and other material we have received in 
support of this legislation be printed in the Record. The Nation is 
behind this effort, and I hope that my colleagues will join us in 
supporting and passing this very important legislation.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              Support for the Early Care and Education Act


                                Experts

       Jack Shonkoff, Brandeis University.
       Craig Ramey, Georgetown University.
       Ed Zigler, Yale University.
       Dorothy Strickland, Rutgers University.
       Barry Zuckerman, Boston Medical.


                         National Organizations

       American Academy of Pediatrics.
       Child Care Action Campaign.
       Child Care Consortium.
       National Child Care Assocation.
       Scholastic Inc.
       National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral 
     Agencies.
       I am Your Child Foundation.
       Committee for Economic Development.
       High Scope Foundation.
       Reading is Fundamental.
       United Way of America.
       Fight Crime Invest in Kids.
       Parents as Teachers.


                   National Government Organizations

       National Governors Association.
       National League of Cities.
       National Conference of Mayors.
       National Conference of State Legislators.


                         Massachusetts & States

       Massachusetts Dept. of Education.
       Massachusetts Early Education for All.
       Massachusetts Association of Child Care Resource and 
     Referral Agencies.
       North Carolina Smart Start.
       First Steps South Carolina.
       Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.
       Maryland Office for Children.
                                  ____



                               American Academy of Pediatrics,

                                     Washington, DC, May 23, 2002.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC
       Dear Senator Kennedy: On behalf of the 57,000 members of 
     the American Academy of Pediatrics, I write to express our 
     strong support for your legislation, the Early Care and 
     Education Act.
       Pediatricians have long recognized that high-quality early 
     care and education requires the combined efforts of many 
     people--parents, caregivers, medical providers, community 
     organizations, and government leaders of all levels. Your 
     legislation recognizes the important nexus between quality 
     health care and quality education for children by ensuring 
     that all early care and education initiatives are grounded on 
     the best research, standards and teaching strategies 
     available. Moreover, by including pediatricians on the panel 
     of experts to provide guidance and assistance to states, your 
     legislation will ensure that all children can benefit from 
     the medical expertise of those most familiar with the health 
     and development of infants, children, adolescents and young 
     adults.
       We applaud your continued commitment to the health, 
     development and education of children. We would welcome the 
     opportunity to work with you as this important legislation 
     moves forward this year. Please contact me or Molly Hicks, 
     Assistant Director, Department of Federal Affairs, if we can 
     be of any assistance.
           Sincerely,
                                               Elizabeth J. Noyes,
     Associate Executive Director.
                                  ____

         National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral 
           Agencies,
                                     Washington, DC, May 20, 2002.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: We are writing on behalf of the 
     National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral 
     Agencies (NACCRRA) to commend you on the goals and purposes 
     of the Early Care and Education Act.
       Child care resource and referral has played a significant 
     role in assisting States in many different system-building 
     efforts. Therefore, we are pleased that your legislation 
     encourages States to think and plan comprehensively how best 
     to improve the quality of early experiences for children by 
     addressing such systemic needs as professional development, 
     compensation, program guidelines, information and support for 
     parents, as well as public awareness.
       We see the concept of a unified, seamless plan which 
     coordinates the State's various federal funding streams as an 
     important indicator that the activities in this Act are 
     intended to provide a robust complement to the quality-
     enhancing activities currently

[[Page S4855]]

     funded by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), 
     which we are hoping will also be increased significantly 
     during this year's reauthorization.
       As coordinators of the fragile and fragmented local early 
     care and education configurations, child care resource and 
     referral programs applaud the intentionality and systemic 
     planning that the Act promotes. The ability of a State's 
     governor to designate an existing entity as the advisory 
     council and the intent to enhance the effectiveness of 
     existing delivery systems are both critical elements to us. 
     We heartily support leveraging new opportunities but strongly 
     oppose the waste created by the unnecessary creation of new, 
     parallel systems and duplication of functions.
       In the section on State Plans, we appreciate the 
     recognition of community based training that is not provided 
     for course credit as an essential part of the professional 
     development continuum. These trainings are often the bridge 
     to educational success for countless caregivers. Without 
     these trainings, many would not have the confidence to enter 
     the higher education environment.
       The language regarding the implementation of the public 
     awareness and parental information campaigns is particularly 
     intriguing, because this has been a core function of resource 
     and referral since long before any significant public 
     resources became available for this purpose.
       We promise to continue working with you to ensure that the 
     bill is a success. Thank you for your unwavering commitment 
     to the children and their families all across our great 
     nation.
           Sincerely,
     Marta Rosa,
       President, NACCRRA Board of Directors.
     Yasmina Vinci,
       Executive Director.
                                  ____

                                                      May 9, 2002.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and 
         Pensions, Senate Dirksen Building, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Judd Gregg,
     Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
         Senate Dirksen Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Kennedy and Senator Gregg: Scholastic Inc. 
     writes in enthusiastic support of the Early Care and 
     Education Act, and we share your goal to ensure that our 
     youngest children reach school ready to learn. We first want 
     to applaud your tremendous recent efforts on elementary and 
     secondary education and the Leave No Child Behind Act. This 
     Act will have an enormous impact on the lives and education 
     of our children and the quality of teaching across the 
     country. We hope that bipartisanship in the Congress, and 
     with the Bush Administration, on funding for education and 
     children will continue with the same energy and focus on 
     preschool and early education. In this present effort 
     Scholastic extends its full support and resources to you and 
     your staff to help reach parents, children, and early 
     educators on the importance of early childhood issues.
       Scholastic Inc., the global children's publishing and media 
     company, throughout its history has had a corporate mission 
     of instilling the love of reading and learning in all 
     children. Recognizing that literacy is the cornerstone of a 
     child's intellectual, personal, and cultural growth, 
     Scholastic has created quality products to educate, entertain 
     and motivate children. We have long understood the importance 
     of focusing on the needs of the whole child during early 
     childhood and we know that what we do for our children in 
     their earliest formative years, sets the foundation for 
     success or failure in school and in life. This legislation 
     has the potential to better prepare the next generation of 
     children to be ready to learn when they enter school.
       We strongly agree that one of keys to promoting school 
     readiness is to develop and retain a well-educated and 
     trained early childhood workforce. Scholastic has focused on 
     the area of professional development for early childhood 
     teachers and caregivers and has been a pioneer in developing 
     scientifically based early childhood instructional materials, 
     including education technology.
       Scholastic offers its services and resources to be part of 
     the legislation's public/private campaign for early childhood 
     and early literacy. Scholastic's magazines, Early Childhood 
     today and Parent & Child, book clubs, and web site reach 
     millions of teachers and parents across the country. 
     Additionally, Scholastic works with libraries and literacy 
     programs across the country. We would like to leverage these 
     unique relationships and communication channels to deliver 
     your message.
       Thank you again for your leadership on issues of importance 
     to children and families.
           Very truly yours,
     Richard Robinson.
                                  ____

                                        New York, NY, May 8, 2002.
     Senator Edward M. Kennedy,
     Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor 
         and Pensions, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: We at Child Care Action Campaign 
     write to express our support for The Early Care and Education 
     Act that we understand you plan to introduce in the Senate 
     later this week.
       We do so with unreserved support for the bill's three 
     stated purposes: to encourage States to improve the quality 
     and availability of early learning opportunities and 
     activities for young children; to develop and retain a well-
     educated and trained early childhood workforce and to promote 
     school preparedness. All of these are necessary if we are to 
     assure that our nation's children will have the social, 
     emotional and behavioral skills necessary to enter and 
     succeed in school. And, that they will bring with them to the 
     schoolhouse door the appropriate level of early cognitive and 
     literacy development to support success in reading and other 
     academic requirements.
       For the past nearly twenty years, Child Care Action 
     Campaign has had as its vision: quality, affordable child 
     care for every American family that needs it. In pursuing 
     this vision we have helped to build national public awareness 
     and support for improved early education. To take the next 
     giant steps, however, requires more than advocacy and public 
     education. It will require significant investment by the 
     Federal government and the States. It will also demand the 
     use of effective strategies to improve the training and 
     compensation of the early childhood workforce, the ultimate 
     source of quality in our nation's preschool classrooms.
       The level of investment proposed in your bill, combined 
     with the strong signal it sends abut the importance of early 
     care and education for our nation's youngest citizens, is a 
     critical next step. We are particularly pleased that, under 
     Sec. 9, Use of Funds, the very first use listed is the one we 
     see as the key to the changes that must be made for our 
     children--that is, to encourage states to use funds under 
     this Act for education, training and professional development 
     for early childhood professionals, including training that is 
     linked to increased compensation.
       We are also encouraged that you plan to establish an 
     independent panel of experts to provide guidance to the 
     States in the important task of assessing progress and that 
     this panel will identify for States' use the best science-
     based methods and measures.
       We look forward to continuing to work with your staff to 
     achieve effective implementation. Thank you for what you 
     personally have done to put your considerable passion and 
     credibility to the service of the nation's children.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Faith Wohl,
     President.
                                  ____

         Smart Start and the North Carolina Partnership for 
           Children,
                                                      May 9, 2002.
     Senator Edward Kennedy,
     U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: On behalf of the North Carolina 
     Partnership for children and Smart Start, thank you for your 
     exemplary support of young children as reflected in your 
     recently proposed legislation. We applaud your outstanding 
     leadership and believe that this legislation will 
     dramatically improve the early care and education system in 
     our state and throughout the nation.
       Thank you for your willingness to listen and learn from the 
     pioneer work we have done since the Smart Start legislation 
     was passed in 1993 as reflected in your visit here and 
     ongoing communication with your staff. While North Carolina 
     has made unparalleled progress in building a high quality 
     early childhood system and getting results for young 
     children, we have much further to go. With your continued 
     leadership and support we will reach our goal that every 
     child in our state arrives at school healthy and prepared for 
     success in school and in life.
       Thank you for your dedication and the commitment you made 
     in proposing this landmark legislation. We look forward to 
     working with you on behalf of children. Please continue to be 
     our nation's champion for young children.
           Sincerely yours,
                                                  Karen W. Ponder,
     Executive Director.
                                  ____

                                                     May 14, 2002.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy, Chair,
     Hon. Judd Gregg, Ranking Member,
     U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education and Pensions, 
         Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senators Kennedy and Gregg: Thank you for your work to 
     produce the ``Early Care and Education Act''. This letter is 
     to communicate the Parents as Teachers National Center's 
     (PATNC) support for the Act.
       There is sound evidence that the first few years of life 
     are the most critical to the healthy social, cognitive, 
     language, and physical development which propels children to 
     success in school and in their lives as adults. Most children 
     spend those early years in the care of their parents, who are 
     their first and most influential teachers, but also with 
     other care providers. The Early Care and Education Act is a 
     realistic attempt to strengthen the capacity of both parents 
     and care providers to promote school readiness by a unified 
     approach of encouraging highly interactive, developmentally 
     appropriate opportunities for very young children to learn 
     and strengthening the quality of the early childhood 
     workplace.
       Along with other positive provisions of the Early Care and 
     Education Act, we are particularly pleased that there is 
     recognition of the various systems and entities involved in 
     providing services to young children and

[[Page S4856]]

     their families and the need to unite these players in common 
     goals and in transition to the school systems which will take 
     over as children grow older. The proposed Joint Office of 
     Early Care and Education at the federal level and similar 
     structures at the state level will model this recognition and 
     create a means to bring it to fruition.
       Again, we are most grateful for the intent of the Early 
     Care and Education Act and the positive focus it will provide 
     on the needs of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens to 
     be ready to succeed in school and in life.
           Most sincerely,
                                               Susan S. Stepleton,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____

                                            Committee for Economic


                                                  Development,

                                     Washington, DC, May 14, 2002.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
      U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Judd Gregg,
     U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senators: On behalf of the Committee for Economic 
     Development (CED), I would like to commend you on your 
     ``Early Care and Education Act.'' CED strongly supports the 
     goal of providing increased early learning opportunities to 
     all children.
       As a nonprofit, non-partisan public policy organization 
     comprised of over 200 business and education leaders, CED has 
     long promoted the economic benefits of improving the 
     education of our nation's youth. CED identified early 
     childhood education as particularly crucial in our 1993 
     study, Why Childcare Matters and our recent policy statement, 
     Preschool for All: Investing In a Productive and Just 
     Society. We wholeheartedly agree with your findings that the 
     pre-kindergarten period is a critical juncture when young 
     children develop cognitively and socially, and therefore 
     benefit substantially from mental stimulation and education. 
     CED supports the goal of the legislation to facilitate 
     cooperation between federal and state governments in creating 
     high-quality and childcare and education systems that ensure 
     that all children enter school ready to learn.
       Promoting school preparedness among children is vital to 
     their future success and benefits society as a whole. In 
     order to accomplish this goal, a stable, well-educated, and 
     appropriately paid childcare and early education workforce is 
     necessary, with ample opportunities for professional 
     development and training. Increased research and 
     dissemination of best practices from among successful 
     programs is also essential. We are pleased that the 
     legislation includes provisions for addressing these 
     requirements.
       CED believes that it is imperative that the current 
     haphazard, piecemeal, and under-funded approach to early care 
     and learning in this country be replaced by coherent state-
     based systems linking programs and providers, with the goal 
     being universal access to high-quality prekindergarten 
     programs for all children whose parents want them to 
     participate. Your legislation represents a step in the right 
     direction and we support your efforts.
           Sincerely,
                                                Charles E.M. Kolb,
     President.
                                  ____

         California Children and Families Commission and I Am Your 
           Child Foundation,
                                  Beverly Hills, CA, May 14, 2002.
     Senator Edward M. Kennedy,
     Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
         Pensions, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: I am writing to express my support 
     for the Early Care and Education Act that you plan to 
     introduce this week. I commend you, the Bill's co-sponsors, 
     and your colleagues for taking this important step to benefit 
     our nation's youngest citizens and to help provide all 
     children with the support, care, and tools they need to enter 
     school ready to succeed.
       Based on my experiences as Chairman of the California 
     Children and Families Commission, as President and Founder of 
     the I Am Your Child Foundation, and as a parent of three 
     young children, I can assure you that increased public 
     investment in early childhood development, parenting, and 
     child care pays off. Investments in the early years yield 
     dividends that last a lifetime: children who are nurtured and 
     taught by caring and capable caregivers, both inside and 
     outside the home, are more likely to enter school ready to 
     succeed, and are ultimately more likely to enter our 
     communities as productive, healthy, and engaged citizens.
       Indeed, in recent years, developments in science and public 
     policy have confirmed what many of us as parents and 
     caregivers have long known instinctively; the experiences of 
     children in their earliest years have a profound effect on 
     the way children grow and develop, and they establish the 
     foundation for future success both in school and in life. We 
     now know, without doubt, that secure and loving attachments 
     with parents and other caregivers, coupled with the right 
     kind of developmental experiences, instill in children the 
     social, emotional and cognitive abilities they need to 
     thrive.
       Quite simply, there is no more significant public 
     investment we can make in our nation's future than in early 
     childhood development, and that is the main focus of the new 
     Early Care and Education Act. Many facts of the Bill are 
     deserving of praise, but I would like to focus on those 
     features that I believe will make the largest difference in 
     the lives of our nation's youngest children:
       First, the Bill recognizes that parents are our children's 
     first teachers, and offers ground-breaking support for 
     initiatives that promote parent education and provide 
     information to parents on child development and age-
     appropriate activities that improve children's social, 
     emotional, cognitive and physical development. The Bill also 
     enables States to conduct public education campaigns to 
     increase public awareness of early childhood development and 
     specific activities that can help children reach social, 
     emotional, and cognitive milestones critical to school 
     readiness. From what I have seen in States across the 
     country, from California to Pennsylvania, parent education 
     and public awareness efforts can make a tremendous difference 
     in the lives of young children. The more reliable and 
     responsible child development information the public, 
     particularly parents, receive, the better caregivers parents 
     become.
       Second, the Bill recognizes the need for significant 
     investment in workforce development that is linked to 
     increased compensation, improved recruitment and retention, 
     and stable career ladders for early childcare workers. If we 
     truly believe in investing in our children, we must make 
     meaningful investments in those entrusted with their care. We 
     must strengthen the knowledge and skills of those who teach 
     and care for our youngest children, and that can only happen 
     by increasing training, skills, and wages.
       Third, the Bill recognizes that early childhood education 
     must be part of the overall K-12 education system. I am 
     extremely pleased to see that both the Departments of 
     Education and Health and Human Services will play a role in 
     administering the act, and that States' plans will include a 
     description of how States will create linkages between formal 
     early care and early education programs and elementary 
     education programs to ensure a smooth transition from 
     preschool to elementary school. In addition, I am delighted 
     that the State Advisory Councils, charged with conducting 
     local needs assessments and developing State plans, will 
     include a wide array of individuals involved in early, 
     elementary, and higher education--from parents to early 
     childhood education professionals, to kindergarten teachers, 
     to teachers in grades 1 through 4, to representatives from 
     institutions of higher learning. This linkage is critical to 
     creating a seamless system of education for our children from 
     birth through grade 12.
       Fourth, the Bill recognizes that investments in early 
     childhood development should not focus on literally alone, 
     but must encompass the full developmental spectrum, including 
     cognitive, social, emotional and physical development 
     beginning at birth. This critical points is understood by the 
     multi-disciplinary approach the Bill embraces in composing 
     State Advisory Councils. In addition, the Bill highlights the 
     multi-dimensional development needs of our children who are 
     most at-risk, and bolsters investment in children living in 
     poverty, for whom early care, education, and intervention are 
     especially crucial.
       Finally, the Bill goes a long way in addressing the problem 
     of linking public funding to assessments of children's school 
     readiness. While the bonus grant provisions of the Bill may 
     be controversial, they do not represent the type of 
     ``child testing'' that I believe is most problematic. As 
     the Bill provides, only 20 percent of funding may be used 
     as bonuses linked to assessment, the assessment tools will 
     be developed over time by independent experts, and the 
     assessments themselves will be limited to kindergarten 
     children (not preschoolers). Moreover, the assessment 
     results may not be used to identify or track children or 
     to determine kindergarten eligibility or retention. In 
     addition, under the Bill, no bonus grants are to be 
     awarded until the third year, which allows time for system 
     building and workforce development, and the third year 
     bonuses are based solely on evidence of increased 
     workforce capacity and retention.
       In sum, I strongly believe the Early Care and Education Act 
     will make significant strides in the care and education of 
     our nation's youngest children. Increased public investment 
     in child development is critical for our children and for our 
     country. I commend you for your strong leadership on this 
     issue and your tireless work on behalf of the children of 
     America. I am proud to offer you my support.
           Sincerely,
     Rob Reiner.
                                  ____

                                                  Yale University,


                                     Department of Psychology,

                                      New Haven, Ct, May 10, 2002.
     Senator Edward M. Kennedy,
     U.S. Senate, Russell Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: I would like to voice my strong 
     support for the Early Care and Education Act. As the Sterling 
     Professor of Psychology at Yale University and head of the 
     Psychology Section of the Yale Child Study Center, I direct 
     the Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy. As 
     someone who has studied the growth and development of 
     children for over 45 years, I believe this legislation will 
     further efforts to improve the lives and early experiences 
     for our nation's youngest children. As I noted in my 
     testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions Committee earlier this spring, the quality of early 
     care and education provided to most children in this nation 
     is poor to mediocre. Millions of

[[Page S4857]]

     infants and toddlers--at the very ages when development is so 
     critical--are spending their days in the care of untrained 
     and poorly compensated teachers.
       The Early Care and Education Act focuses on the two biggest 
     issues confronting the field of early education--the lack of 
     an organized and systematic approach to early care and 
     education, and the lack of trained and well compensated 
     teachers. We must address these issues to ensure that all 
     children arrive at our schools prepared to learn. If we want 
     sound educational programs, we simply must provide well-
     trained teachers to implement them.
       I compliment you on the comprehensive nature of the bill. 
     While I wholeheartedly agree that congnitive development and 
     literacy are important goals, I have repeatedly pointed out 
     that they are so interwined with the physical, social and 
     emotional systems that it is futile to dwell on the intellect 
     and exclude the other domains of development. Your bill 
     supports the whole child concept and I applaud you for this 
     approach. Decades of cumulative research shows that early 
     emotional risk factors that go unaddressed, will result in 
     later school failure, poor peer relationships, and later 
     costly interventions. Phonemic instruction by the most 
     competent teacher will do little for a child whose physical, 
     emotional and social needs have not been met. The best way to 
     promote the healthy development of children is to help the 
     adults in their lives be more effective in responding to 
     their needs.
       I commend you for continuing to leadership on behalf of 
     children. Please do not hestitate to contact me if I can be 
     helpful in your efforts.
           Cordially,
                                                    Edward Zigler,
     Sterling Professor of Psychology.
                                  ____



                                 Reading Is Fundamental, Inc.,

                                     Washington, DC, May 13, 2002.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, 
         Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF) is 
     pleased to support the bipartisan Early Care and Education 
     Act, with its laudable emphasis on the creation of strong 
     support systems and educational resources to help ensure that 
     all children, especially those most at-risk for educational 
     failure, receive literacy services at the earliest possible 
     ages.
       RIF shares with you the conviction that the social, 
     academic and cognitive development of America's children 
     depends in large measure on the degree to which they 
     experience nurturing environments during the first six years 
     of life. It is vitally important that families and caregivers 
     receive the resources, information and motivation necessary 
     to prepare children to be successful, life-long learners and 
     readers. RIF believes that this legislation can play an 
     important role in shaping a national approach to more 
     effective childcare and early childhood education.
       One of the strengths of this legislation is its recognition 
     of the variety of settings in which our youngest children are 
     cared for. This comprehensive approach, acknowledging both 
     care in the home and outside the home, has long been a part 
     of RIF's programmatic activity. For example, RIF has 
     developed a training program for childcare providers called 
     Care To Read, which provides instruction on ways to integrate 
     emergent literacy development into a variety of childcare 
     settings. This program is based on research such as the 
     National Reading Panel's report on Preventing Reading 
     Difficulties In Young Children and Dr. Susan B. Neuman's 
     study, Access For All. The growing research regarding 
     emergent literacy support and reading readiness confirms the 
     need to accelerate and broaden efforts to include literacy 
     activities in all child care settings, including those that 
     have not traditionally offered it. The critical need to train 
     child care workers to offer literacy activities is reflected 
     in the legislation and is fully supported by RIF.
       Also consistent with the legislation's goals, RIF, through 
     RIFNet, our distance learning initiative, is developing a 
     six-part video and online training program on emergent 
     literacy issues for early-childhood caregivers, teachers, 
     parents and other important adult influences in children's 
     lives. A companion series on developmentally appropriate 
     children's literature will support this effort to bolster 
     early-childhood literacy development nationwide.
       Without doubt, this is a critical time in our nation's 
     history, when 38 percent of fourth-graders read below grade 
     level, including 58 percent of Hispanic and 63 percent of 
     African-American children. RIF looks forward to working 
     closely with the Department of Education, members of 
     Congress, and communities across the nation to ensure that 
     the youngest Americans have access to books and that 
     essential literacy services are available in all settings, 
     both formal and informal, where young children are cared for.
       We support your efforts to enact this important legislation 
     and thank you for your steadfast support of children's 
     education and health issues. RIF, with its network of 400,000 
     volunteers at 20,000 sites across the country, it prepared to 
     be an active resource in support of this effort.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Carol H. Rasco,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____

                                                Rutgers University


                                 Graduate School of Education,

                                   New Brunswick, NJ, May 9, 2002.
     Re: Early Care and Education Bill.

       To Senator Edward M. Kennedy: I am writing to you and to 
     Senator Judd Gregg to state my endorsement of the Early Care 
     and Education bill. It promises to be a significant step 
     forward in improving the coordination of early childhood 
     efforts at the state level and in strengthening curricula to 
     foster children's overall development with specific attention 
     to their cognitive and language growth. Perhaps most 
     important, it provides the momentum to assist states in their 
     efforts to improve the qualify of early childhood staff.
       I am pleased to have had the opportunity to testify on 
     behalf of this legislation and to participate in the 
     preparation of its drafts. If I can be of further help, I can 
     be reached at the locations listed in the letterhead.
     Dorothy S. Strickland.
                                  ____



                                   Child Care Resource Center,

                                       Cambridge, MA, May 9, 2002.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     Russell Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: As Executive Director of Child Care 
     Resource Center, Inc. (CCRC), one of 15 state contracted 
     child care resource and referral agencies in Massachusetts, I 
     would like to commend you on the goals and purposes of the 
     Early Care and Education Act.
       The Child Care Resource Center has actively participated in 
     assisting many different system-building efforts in the 
     Commonwealth. Therefore, I am pleased that your legislation 
     encourages states to think and plan comprehensively about 
     improving the quality of early care and education by 
     addressing such systemic needs as: professional development, 
     compensation, program guidelines, information and support for 
     parents, and promoting public awareness campaigns. I am also 
     pleased about the fact that the Act offers a state's governor 
     the ability to designate an existing entity as the advisory 
     council and the focus on enhancing the effectiveness of 
     existing delivery systems--both are critical elements because 
     they will inhibit duplication of services.
       By advancing the concept of a unified, seamless plan that 
     coordinates the federal funding that a state receives from 
     various sources, the Act is working to provide a robust 
     complement to the quality-enhancing activities currently 
     funded by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), 
     which I and other child care advocates in Massachusetts are 
     working to ensure is increased significantly during this 
     year's reauthorization.
       In the section on State Plans, I appreciate the recognition 
     of community-based training that is not provided for course 
     credit as an essential part of the professional development 
     continuum. Community-based trainings are often the bridge to 
     educational success for countless caregivers. Without these 
     trainings, many would not have the confidence to enter the 
     higher education environment. The language regarding the 
     implementation of the public awareness and parent-focused 
     information campaigns is particularly intriguing, because 
     this has been a core function of resource and referral since 
     long before any significant public resources became available 
     for this purpose.
       I will continue working with you to ensure that the bill is 
     a success. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to 
     ensuring that quality services are available to the children 
     and their families all across our great nation.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Marta T. Rosa,
     Executive Director.
                                  ____



                                        Child Care Consortium,

                                      Washington, DC, May 9, 2002.
     Hon. Ted Kennedy and Judd Gregg,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senators Kennedy and Gregg: On behalf of the licensed, 
     private providers of quality early childhood education, 
     members of the Child Care Consortium and the National Child 
     Care Association, I am writing to commend your efforts to 
     build a strong early childhood education system with the 
     development of the Early Care and Education Act. The Child 
     Care Consortium encourages you to continue seeking ways to 
     create a framework for a strong system of quality care and 
     education, one that leverages and complements the existing 
     child care delivery system.
       The Early Care and Education Act recognizes that a 
     disciplined approach for building resources and quality goals 
     around a fully funded child care system is important. This 
     includes aligning the preschool learning experience with 
     kindergarten and elementary grade expectations, undertaking 
     meaningful needs assessments, which should include an 
     analysis of capacities and capabilities of existing system 
     resources, and a strong workforce development plan, which 
     must include both training, appropriate to the field, and 
     compensation, competitive in local markets. This also 
     includes providing quality guidelines for parents and 
     creating measurable goals for state efforts. The Child Care 
     Consortium also supports the establishment of a Joint Office 
     of Early Care and Education and full involvement of 
     stakeholders in state Advisory Councils to assist states with 
     identifying needs and developing state plans. Finally, we 
     strongly recommend that states be

[[Page S4858]]

     encouraged to develop a single, unified Early Care and 
     Education/CCDBG plan.
       A framework for driving quality will help ensure that 
     program expenditures in fact enhance quality. Many states 
     have used their quality dollars well and some initiatives 
     have served as models for other states. We think your 
     approach to creating a strong framework for quality is 
     particularly important to ensure that every dollar not used 
     for providing direct assistance to families or creating 
     deeper subsidies through meaningful levels of reimbursements, 
     show real results for quality early childhood education and 
     development.
       Licensed private providers of early childhood education are 
     an essential part of the delivery of quality child care and 
     education opportunities for communities across the nation. 
     Important to our ability to offer quality programming are 
     resources for elements of quality such as professional 
     development and training, effective recruitment and 
     retention, and competitive teacher compensation. The system 
     elements authorized by the Early Care and Education Act will 
     help. Also important for driving quality are adequate funding 
     for child care assistance that will allow families to 
     purchase high quality care and education and reimbursement 
     rates that compensate providers for the full cost of 
     providing quality programming represent, allowing providers 
     to make greater investments in these elements of quality.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Frank Moore,
     Government Relations Counsel.
                                  ____



                                                  First Steps,

                                        Columbia, SC, May 9, 2002.
     Senator Edward M. Kennedy,
     Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: I am writing in strong support of the 
     Early Care and Education bill that you are proposing, which I 
     have had the opportunity to review this week. As the Director 
     of South Carolina's early childhood initiative, South 
     Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, I feel that this 
     bill directly complements our efforts to ensure that all 
     South Carolina children arrive at first grade ready to 
     succeed in school.
       This bill, if enacted, would directly build on and support 
     the cross-agency collaboratives we have developed at both the 
     state and county levels. As you know, to achieve school 
     readiness requires a holistic approach to all the domains 
     that affect a child's readiness--cognitive, social and 
     developmental. This bill clearly recognizes the need to 
     support all of those domains.
       I am also pleased with the bill's focus on training for 
     early childhood professionals and the inclusion of funding 
     for public awareness. We have undertaken both of those 
     initiatives in South Carolina, but limited funds have 
     restricted the scope of what we are able to do at present. We 
     would welcome the opportunity to expand our efforts if this 
     bill is enacted.
       If you have any questions about our efforts in South 
     Carolina, please do not hestitate to contact me. I may be 
     reached at 803-734-0391. Thank you for your leadership in 
     developing this bill.
           Sincerely,
                                            Marie-Louise Ramsdale,
     Director.
                                  ____


       Statement of Support for the Early Care and Education Act

                      (By Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D.)

       I am happy to convey my strong support for the proposed 
     Early Care and Education Act. This support is based on the 
     extent to which the bill is informed by the science of early 
     childhood development, as well as on my 20 years of 
     experience as a pediatrician deeply engaged in the delivery 
     of a wide range of services for young children ``on the 
     ground.''
       Among the many features of the proposed legislation, the 
     following are particularly important and worthy of broad and 
     enthusiastic endorsement:
       First, the bill addresses the most pressing challenge 
     facing all early childhood programs--the need for significant 
     investment in staff education and training that is linked to 
     increased compensation, improved recruitment and retention, 
     and a career ladder. Stated simply, in order to close the gap 
     between what we know and what we do to support parents and 
     promote healthy child development, we must strengthen the 
     knowledge and skills of those who provide early care and 
     education.
       Second, the bill recognizes that wise investments in early 
     learning must begin at birth.
       Third, the bill acknowledges the importance of a 
     comprehensive, knowledge-based approach to early childhood 
     development, with comparable attention to its cognitive, 
     language, social, emotional, and physical dimensions, as well 
     as to the foundations of early literacy.
       Fourth, the bill provides incentives for states to engage 
     in an integrated planning process designed to reduce the 
     universally criticized fragmentation that characterizes our 
     patchwork systems of early care and education programs, 
     including interventions for young children with special needs 
     and those at high risk for school difficulties.
       Clearly, the most contentious issue that has arisen in the 
     formulation of this bill has been the concept of bonus grants 
     and its linkage to the assessment of school readiness in 
     children. Early in the negotiation process, I found myself in 
     strong agreement with the legitimate concerns of those who 
     warned about the potential adverse impacts of ``high stakes'' 
     child testing on the providers of early care and education, 
     the children themselves, and the entire early childhood 
     environment. Despite these caveats, which remain real, I 
     believe in the value of incentives, the importance of 
     accountability focused ultimately on whether children are 
     doing better as a result of our efforts, and the need to 
     make sure that both the concept and the implementation of 
     child performance assessment are guided primarily by 
     knowledge and not by politics.
       In this context, it is my strong belief that the key issue 
     is not whether we should assess child outcomes, but how and 
     when they should be measured, and what protections can be 
     built into the process to prevent unintended, adverse 
     consequences. Thus, although the ultimate implementation of 
     any system of child evaluation must be undertaken with great 
     care and vigilance, I believe that the proposed legislation 
     has many important features that provide a strong framework 
     for a sound incentive model. The basis for my support is the 
     following:
       No bonus grants are awarded until the third year, which 
     allows sufficient time for the actual interventions (i.e., 
     system building and investments in workforce development) to 
     be implemented before their impact is measured.
       Initial bonus grants will be awarded in the third year 
     based on evidence of increased workforce capacity and 
     retention, which is the bill's most important strategy for 
     improving the quality of early care and education, as a 
     necessary vehicle for enhancing child outcomes.
       The award of bonus grants based on improved child outcomes 
     does not begin until the fourth year, at which point it is 
     reasonable to expect that the investments of the first three 
     years will begin to show measurable impacts on children's 
     school readiness.
       The indicators of school readiness are viewed 
     comprehensively and include cognitive, language, social, 
     emotional, and physical dimensions, and not just a focus on 
     early literacy.
       The responsibility for identifying key indicators of school 
     readiness and a selection of scientifically reliable and 
     valid measurement options is assigned to an independent panel 
     of experts outside of the political process.
       Multiple conditions are specified in the bill to minimize 
     potential abuse of the assessment process and to protect 
     children from the consequences of a high-stakes testing 
     environment (i.e., assessments restricted to kindergarten 
     children; no testing of preschoolers; prohibitions against 
     mandatory developmental screening against parental wishes; 
     and prohibitions against the use of assessment data to 
     identify or track individuals or to determine kindergarten 
     eligibility or retention)
       The bill includes an innovative provision for bonus grants 
     to support demonstration projects in states that have not 
     documented improved child outcomes, guided by the lessons 
     learned in states that have achieved measurable gains, which 
     establishes the critically important precedent of recognizing 
     the value of using accountability processes to improve 
     policies and practices and not to stigmatize individual 
     programs.
       In summary, I believe that the proposed legislation will 
     advance the health development and well-being of our nation's 
     young children, and I would be happy to provide any 
     additional input that could be helpful.
                                  ____

                                          Boston University School


                                                  of Medicine,

                                          Boston, MA, May 8, 2002.
     Senator Edward M. Kennedy,
     Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, 
         Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: I enthusiastically welcome the 
     ``Early Care and Education Act'' that you and Senator Gregg 
     introduced before the U.S. Senate this week.
       In my years as a pediatrician, I have witnessed the wide-
     ranging impact of poverty on thousands of families, 
     particularly as it relates to the healthy development of 
     children. The most important lesson that I've learned is that 
     only a truly comprehensive strategy--comprised of a wide 
     variety of interventions, employing the energies, enthusiasm 
     and expertise of many professions--can provide the strong web 
     of support that the most vulnerable families need to support 
     the healthy development of their children.
       The Early Care and Education Act puts this lesson into 
     practice. I am particularly excited and encouraged by the 
     role this bill envisions for healthcare providers, 
     pediatricians in particular, to support parents as their 
     children's first teacher. By allowing states to use funds 
     from this bill to both train healthcare professionals to 
     conduct developmental assessments, and support of voluntary 
     programs such as Reach Out and Read, the Early Care and 
     Education Act brings enlists the participation of an 
     important ally.
       As pediatricians, we have faith and confidence that much of 
     the guidance and advice that we give to parents helps parents 
     help their children. But Reach Out and Read, a program that 
     we are now successfully implementing in a wide variety of 
     healthcare settings across the country, is the only primary 
     care-based intervention that has been shown by scientific 
     evidence, to improve a child's

[[Page S4859]]

     development outcome. ROR's inclusion in statewide efforts 
     will be a wonderful, and proven, complement to existing 
     infrastructure of early care and education.
       I thank you for the leadership you continue to show in 
     supporting parents in their efforts to help their children 
     grow up healthy. We look forward to helping in any way we 
     can.
           Sincerely,

                                          Barry Zuckerman, MD,

                                    Chief and Chairman, Department
     of Pediatrics.
                                  ____


The Following People Will Respond to Questions About the Early Care and 
                             Education Bill

       Dr. Jack Shonkoff MD, Dean of the Heller School of Social 
     Policy at Brandeis University and Chair of the National 
     Academy of Sciences Panel on Integrating The Science of Early 
     Childhood Development, Waltham, MA 02454.
       Ed Zigler, PhD, Sterling Professor of Psychology, Yale 
     University, New Haven, CT 06520.
       Art Steller, PhD, President/CEO, High Scope Educational 
     Research Foundation, Ypsilanti, MI 48198.
       Dorothy Strickland, PhD, Professor of Reading, Rutgers 
     University, New Brunswick, NJ.
       Craig Ramey, PhD, Professor, Georgetown University, 
     Washington, DC.
       Faith Wohl, President, Child Care Action Campaign, New 
     York, New York 10001.
       Rob Reiner, President, I AM Your Child Foundation, Beverly 
     Hills, CA 90210.

  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, in 1989, President Bush challenged our 
Nation and our Nation's governors to do two things: first, to develop a 
strategy to improve our educational system and thereby the academic 
performance of our Nation's students and second, to work toward the 
goals that all children would enter school ready to learn.
  Well, the first part of the challenge was realized with the landmark 
reforms made earlier this year in the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act. With its passage, we have taken significant, if not 
monumental, steps to improve the education of our K-12 students.
  The second part of the challenge, that all children would enter 
school ready to learn remains, and has now become, the focus of our 
attention.
  The President has taken the first step by launching his ``Good start, 
Grow Smart'' Early Childhood Initiative. Following the President's 
lead, Senator Kennedy and I are today introducing the Early Care and 
Education Act.
  This legislation will hopefully bring together many of the Federal, 
State and local efforts already underway in the area of early 
education. The United States currently invests more than $18 billion 
per year in early childhood care and education through a variety of 
Federal, State, and local programs. Unfortunately, we are seeing very 
mixed results. Many children continue to enter school unprepared to 
learn, despite our best efforts. And despite this significant current 
investment of resources, 85 percent of child care is of poor to 
mediocre quality.
  This says to me that we need to spend our funds more wisely, and to 
target them more effectively at what works. That is what the Early Care 
and Education bill will do.
  Under ECEA, we will ask states to do seven basic things as a 
condition for receiving an incentive grant:
  One, blend and coordinate existing early learning resources; two, 
identify barriers which prevent them from fully utilizing Federal, 
State, an local public and private funds for early care and early 
education; three, promulgate voluntary program guidelines for early 
care and early education programs in the State; four, develop general 
goals for school preparedness for children entering kindergarten; five, 
provide a list of suggested activities for parents and care-givers to 
offer young children that can improve children's school preparedness; 
six, establish a workforce development plan that ensures comprehensive 
training for early childhood education professionals that is linked to 
a compensation package; and seven, ensure that this training uses 
curricula that will prepare early childhood professionals to 
effectively implement curricula identified as scientifically based and 
effective to prepare young children to succeed in school.
  Then, to make sure States are actually making measured improvement in 
attaining their goals and performance measures, we set aside 20 percent 
of the funds appropriated for bonus grants to high performing states. 
States that are making measured improvement in improving the 
competencies of early learning professionals in the state and in the 
overall school readiness of their kindergartners will be eligible for 
this bonus, which becomes effective when appropriation levels reach 
$500 million.
  This is significant and is somewhat of a departure form what 
Washington is used to. But we must no longer settle for programs that 
are untested and unaccountable to the American taxpayer for results. 
Our children, especially our disadvantaged children deserve better.
  Under the ECEA, States will have the flexibility to identify, target 
and fund the most significant needs in their own states. They will be 
required to recognize and include parents as equal partners in the 
education of young children and respect the choices parents make to use 
or not use out-of-home child care or preschool settings.
  They will be asked to set specific goals for school readiness and 
workforce improvement and then will be held accountable for reaching 
them. They will have the assistance of a National Panel of Experts in 
developing these goals and measures and the resources of the 
Departments of Education and Health and Human Services who will be 
required to work together, jointly, to administer this program. The 
largest investments in child care and early education are scattered 
throughout these two agencies and it is absolutely essential that they 
work together to effectively meet the needs of working families and 
young children. This is unprecedented but it must happen.
  Let me conclude my saying that I am very excited about this 
legislation and encouraged by the willingness of members of both sides 
of the isle to work together for the good of the children to create a 
system where No Child Will be Left Behind. I am hope that by working 
together in partnership with parents, and States we will make great 
strides in preparing our young children for school. I look forward to 
our continued dialogue on this issue and to moving this legislation 
through the Congress and to the President.
  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Early Care 
and Education Act of 2002 which was introduced today by Chairman 
Kennedy. I am proud to have been invited by him to work on this 
legislation, together with the ranking member of the Senate Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Gregg, and the other 
distinguished cosponsors.
  Early childhood development is a true passion of mine. In fact, one 
of the first bills I introduced when I came to the Senate in 1999 was 
an early childhood development bill targeting children from prenatal 
through age three. And the following year I was pleased to work with 
Senators Stevens and Kennedy on the Early Learning Opportunities Act.
  Leading researchers from the distinguished National Research Council 
and Institute of Medicine emphasize that the first years of a child's 
life are the most important time in a child's development in terms of 
socialization and brain synapses, both of which are necessary for 
learning.
  As a fiscal conservative, I believe that one of the best investments 
the federal government can make is in 0-3. Providing comprehensive 
early care that includes physical, social, emotional and cognitive 
development makes a real difference in a child's future because it not 
only prepares them for preschool, but also carries through to provide 
success from K through 12.
  I am encouraged that both the President and First Lady are working 
actively to raise the profile of this important bipartisan initiative 
that will provide high-quality, comprehensive care for young children.
  When I was Governor of Ohio, I prioritized early childhood 
development, drawing a line in the sand and determining that our State 
would not allow another generation of children to fall by the wayside. 
We committed to meeting the health, education and social service needs 
of the disadvantaged from prenatal through kindergarten.
  Ohio became the nation's leader in Head Start by fully-funding it--in 
combination with other State programs, so that every eligible child had 
a space if their parents choose it. Then we began local partnerships 
between government agencies and community organizations in every 
county, with the goal of having all children in Ohio starting school 
ready to learn. I should also mention something we seem to forget, that 
the

[[Page S4860]]

first goal of the national initiative launched in 1989, Goals 200, was 
that by the year 2000, all children in America would start school ready 
to learn.
  Ohio also launched Help Me Grow, an information campaign for parents 
of every income level regarding prenatal and well-baby care, child 
development, child safety, preventing child abuse and identifying local 
resources to help with all those issues that are so essential to 
raising a healthy child.
  I was so impressed with the results we saw in Ohio that I agreed as 
vice-chairman of the National Governors Association to join with 
Governor Miller of Nevada to make early childhood development a two-
year priority. This was the first time two consecutive chairmen of the 
National Governors Association joined in having the same priority, 
encouraging States to focus on child development from 0-3. I also 
worked with Rob Reiner, who created and developed the I am Your Child 
Foundation, and who has done so much to raise awareness and provide 
assistance to parents for early child care.
  The bill that Senators Kennedy, Gregg, Murray, and I are introducing 
will build on what States such as Ohio have already done, coordinate 
efforts and target dollars to make a real difference for those young 
children who are the most vulnerable in our society.
  The incentive grants in the bill will help states that have already 
started down this path provide higher quality services, but more 
importantly, this bill will provide the catalyst for those States that 
have not yet made early childhood development a priority. I'm amazed 
today that only 13 states have actually put State money into the Head 
Start program.
  Unfortunately, for families in some states, there is no coordinated 
system that connects parents of young children to a network of 
information and resources for assistance with the comprehensive early 
care a child needs to start school ready to learn.
  By providing Federal dollars to help states coordinate their efforts, 
we are drawing a line in the sand for the Nation and saying, ``This is 
the generation that will have every child starting school ready to 
learn.''
  As a federalist, I believe states can and should have a big role in 
helping make our Nation a better place to live. This bill provides the 
Federal-State partnership which is appropriate, avoids federally 
imposed one-size-fits-all solutions, and gives States the flexibility 
to find solutions that best fit their citizens' needs. I think the best 
evidence of how important that is, is the successful reform of this 
country's welfare system.
  I've seen what works and I've seen what doesn't. I'm glad to be a 
part of the team to get this bill passed and I pray that my fellow 
Senators are inspired to understand how important this is to the future 
of America.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I join with Senators Kennedy, Gregg, 
Murray, and others in introducing the Early Care and Education Act. I 
am pleased to have worked on this legislation because I believe it is 
absolutely critical that we do more on the Federal level to enhance 
early childhood education throughout the country. Seventy four percent 
of children in out of home care had care that was classified as 
mediocre--meeting health and safety requirements but offering no 
education or developmental benefits. Twelve percent were in places that 
were considered unsafe and only 14 percent were considered good. this 
situation is totally unacceptable.
  The Early Care and Education Act would start to address this severe 
situation by providing much needed funds for states to support a more 
comprehensive, more high quality infrastructure for early care. It 
would fund professional development for early care providers and 
provide for wage incentive programs to ensure that providers get the 
salaries they deserve. It would provide incentives to States to 
integrate and coordinate services for your children. I am particularly 
pleased that this legislation would also provide funding for parent 
education programs such as the Early Childhood and Family Education 
program in Minnesota.
  The ECFE program has been extraordinarily successful in my state. It 
is the largest early childhood program in Minnesota and is now offered 
in districts that together encompass 99 percent of the population of 
infants and toddlers in the State. Forty four percent of all young 
children and their families participate in the program.
  Four different studies of outcomes of the ECFE program have all 
concluded that ECFE is effective with all types of families. Benefits 
for children include improved social interactions and relationships, 
improved social skills, increased self confidence and self-esteem, and 
improvement in language and communication skills. For parents, ECFE 
increases the ability to know what is important for children's healthy 
growth and development over time, improves their confidence and leads 
to far higher participation in parental involvement activities in 
elementary school.
  A recent study by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement 
at the United States Department of Education has described the 
Minnesota ECFE program as an example of the type of program that can 
provide children and families with ``continuity and [can] ease the 
critical transition to school.'' That is the goal of the important 
legislation we are introducing today.
  Forty percent of all American children enter kindergarten unprepared 
for school. This is unacceptable. We know that children need to be in a 
stimulating environment to spur the brain development that is critical 
to intelligence. This bill will move us in the direction of ensuring 
that every child has access to better quality care by helping States 
develop an improved and integrated system of care. The academic 
achievement gap is greatest when children start school, so if we are 
serious about closing the achievement gap between poor and more 
affluent students, we must do more to intervene early. This bill is a 
strong move in the right direction. I thank my colleagues for their 
excellent work on this important issue.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues, Senators 
Kennedy, Gregg, and Voinovich, to introduce the ``Early Education and 
Care Act,'' a bill to help improve the quality of early childhood 
education.
  We all know that our children are the most vulnerable and valuable 
members of our population. As the parents of eight and grandparents of 
seven, my wife, Fran and I know the responsibility, time, and 
dedication it takes to ensure that children B especially very young 
children, live in a stimulating environment that will enhance their 
development.
  The first five years of a child's life are a time of momentous 
change. Research shows that a child's brain size doubles between birth 
and age three. I remember my own children during this time, and it 
seemed like everyday they were learning and doing something for the 
first time--walking, crawling, or learning another new word. Kids are 
like sponges, particularly at this early stage of life.
  That's why education is such an important part of our children's 
lives, not just when they reach kindergarten, but really from the day 
they are born. The bill we are introducing today would help reshape how 
states and American families view child development. I have worked with 
the other sponsors to ensure that information about the importance of 
child development, age-appropriate activities, and activities that 
increase a child's language and literacy development are all targeted 
at every home in Ohio and across the country. This information needs to 
go to our childcare centers, libraries, and pediatrician offices.
  Now, not every child less than five years of age goes to a formal 
pre-school or childcare setting. But, they all go to the doctor and our 
message needs to be incorporated into well-baby visits and ordinary 
check ups. Our legislation would enable states to provide training to 
health care providers on conducting child development analyses as part 
of a routine physical examination.
  Programs, such as ``Reach Out and Read,'' already have been 
successful in using the health care profession to spread literacy. 
``Reach Out and Read'' gives books to parents to take home and share 
with their children. Doctors that participate in this program have 
incorporated literacy and language development into questions during 
physical evaluations, and they have emphasized the importance of 
literacy to the parents.
  Early learning programs play a pivotal role in preparing our children 
for

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kindergarten and beyond. First Lady Laura Bush has taken an important 
leadership role in this issue with her ``Ready to Read, Ready to 
Learn'' initiative, which has helped put early learning into the 
national spotlight. For example, when she testified before the Senate 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, she described a great 
discrepancy that exists in our country. She explained that when 
children enter their kindergarten classrooms on the first day of 
school, they are not all starting from the same point. Some children 
are much more advanced than others. Kindergarten teachers could tell 
you on day one, which students received quality pre-primary education 
and which ones hadn't gone to a quality program or had ever been in an 
educational setting before.
  Research shows that children who attend quality early childcare 
programs when they were three or four years-old score better in math, 
language, and on social skills development in early elementary school 
than children who attend poor quality childcare programs. Furthermore, 
children in early learning programs with high quality teachers--
teachers with associate degrees or bachelor degrees--do substantially 
better. Our legislation would create incentives for states to enable 
those caring for our children to get the training and education they 
need to best teach our very young children. I'm very pleased with what 
my own home state of Ohio did in 1999, when we passed a law requiring 
that every Head Start teacher by the year 2007, have at least an 
associates degree in early childhood education. Currently, federal law 
mandates that only 50 percent of Head Start teachers have an associate 
degree.
  These are all very complex issues, Mr. President. We need to find a 
balance between quality pre-primary education programs and ensuring 
that we reach as many children and families as possible. The time has 
come for a more comprehensive program B one that reaches all children 
right from the start. I believe our legislation accomplishes this task, 
and I encourage my colleagues to support this effort.
                                 ______