[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 23 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2009-S2010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BOND (for himself, Mr. Talent, and Mr. DeWine):
  S. 503. A bill to expand Parents as Teachers programs and other 
quality programs of early childhood home visitation, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I introduced S. 503, the Education Begins At 
Home Act. It is at the desk. It is cosponsored by Senators Talent and 
DeWine. I invite my colleagues to look at it and join with me in this 
significant measure to improve early childhood education and 
development of our children.
  Parents as Teachers has worked in Missouri. It is a program which 
involves training and assistance for parents of children from birth to 
3 years of

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age. We have had significant improvements in educational achievements. 
We have identified problems in children. We have solved problems and 
saved money by avoiding the necessary, expensive, and very difficult 
remedial efforts. It involves home visits. It involves bringing 
children of like age groups together. It works at home. It works for 
the poorest families. It works for very busy two-working-parent 
families. It works on our military installations.
  This measure expands from currently 3,300 children whose parents are 
in the program nationally to potentially 2.7 million families with 
young children throughout the United States. The program is presently 
in all States, in the Union. This expands on it and makes sure we use 
our early education dollars to the maximum benefit. Get parents 
involved. Home visits work.
  Research has clearly shown that the early years are critical in a 
child's development and lay the foundation for success in school and in 
life. The home is the first and most important learning environment for 
children, and parents are their child's first and most influential 
teacher.
  Through parent education and family support, we can promote parents' 
ability to enhance their children's cognitive, language, social-
emotional and physical development--thereby helping parents to prepare 
their children for success in school.
  It only makes sense to equip parents with the skills they need to 
help maximize their child's health and development and this is exactly 
what the Parents at Teachers Program does.
  The curriculum is designed to build the foundation of later learning, 
provide early detection of developmental delays as well as health, 
vision and hearing problems, prevent child abuse and neglect and 
increase children's school readiness and school success.
  To achieve these goals, Parents as Teachers provides personalized 
home visits by trained parent educators, group meetings with other new 
parents and formal screening of vision and hearing.
  Twenty-one years ago I pushed the Early Childhood Education Act 
through the Missouri legislature. During my second term as Governor I 
signed that ground breaking bill into law which mandated PAT in every 
school district in the state of Missouri. For me that was the 
culmination of 5 long years of work.
  One might say I was on a mission. And I was. Because in 1981, I found 
myself in a similar situation to that of the Missouri's current 
Governor. I was about to be a new father myself.
  PAT certainly made a positive difference in my family. PAT helped us 
through sleepless nights, teething, and learning the ABC's. My son, 
Sam, was probably one of the first babies to benefit from the Parents 
as Teachers materials in Missouri. And countless others have benefited 
since.
  What began as an experiment in Missouri has expanded to more than 
3,000 sites in all 50 states, and seven foreign countries. Communities 
all over the world are investing in PAT because the results are 
positive and the cost is low.
  Anecdotally, I can tell you that parents in PAT know that it is a 
tremendous benefit to them and their children.
  The scientifically sound research shows that: At age 3, PAT children 
are more advanced in language, social development, problem solving and 
other cognitive abilities, PAT children score higher on kindergarten 
readiness tests, Children who participate in PAT score higher on 
standardized measures of reading, math and language in first through 
fourth grades, parents who participate in PAT are more confident about 
their parenting and are more involved in their children's schooling--a 
key component of a child's success in school.
  Recognizing that all parents need and deserve support in laying a 
strong foundation for their child's success I will be introducing the 
Education Begins at Home Act.
  To date over 2 million families nationwide have received the 
education and support they need through PAT. While this is a tremendous 
accomplishment, there are more families that can be reached by this 
exceptional program.
  The Education Begins at Home Act makes a bold federal investment in 
parents by establishing the first, dedicated federal funding stream to 
support the expansion of Parents as Teachers--or other home visitation 
programs--at the state and local level.
  The $500 million in federal funds over 3 years included in this bill 
will expand services to over 2.7 million families nationwide.
  Ten times more families will be served by PAT under this legislation.
  This bill will: provide $400 million over 3 years to states to expand 
access to PAT, encourage and foster more collaboration between PAT and 
Early Head Start Grantees, provide $50 million over 3 years to fund 
innovative ideas and partnerships at the local level to expand access 
to PAT in communities with limited English proficiency; and provide $50 
million over 3 years to reach more military families by expanding 
access to PAT in schools and community organizations that serve 
military families.
  All babies are born to learn and a parent is a child's first and most 
important teacher. Parents as Teachers better prepares children for 
success in school and life and helps parents become more active 
participants in their child's education.
  The expansion of Parents as Teachers is a sound investment in the 
future of our children and families.
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