[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 51 (Monday, April 25, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4159-S4160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL KINDERGARTEN RECOGNITION DAY

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 119, submitted today.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the resolution by 
title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 119) designating April 21, 2005, as 
     ``National Kindergarten Recognition Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the resolution 
that nationally recognizes the critical role the kindergarten year 
plays in the lives of our Nation's children. This resolution designates 
April 21, 2005 as National Kindergarten Recognition Day.
  I have chosen this day because exactly 168 years ago the first 
kindergarten classroom was opened. In 1837, many believed that young 
children did not have the ability to focus or to develop cognitive and 
emotional skills. However, Fredrich Froebel, a German school teacher 
and private tutor, held a different opinion and opened the first 
kindergarten classroom with the goal of shaping young children in a 
nurturing, educational, and protected environment.
  Since then, Mr. Froebel's idea has been confirmed time and again by 
research--early years are learning years and kindergarten has a long 
history of enhancing children's cognitive, physical, and social 
development.
  In the United States, kindergarten was first introduced to American 
communities in 1856. Now, close to four million children participate in 
kindergarten programs throughout the country. With attention now 
focused on increasing access to high-quality child care and pre-school 
programs, kindergarten is frequently overlooked.
  While I support both of these laudable goals, I believe we cannot 
ignore the impact of the kindergarten year on the development of our 
Nation's children. And as policy makers, we must ensure that the 
kindergarten programs are using developmentally, culturally, and 
linguistically appropriate curricula and have teachers who have 
specialized knowledge and skills to address their unique needs.
  On a personal note, I fondly remember my kindergarten year with my 
teacher, Mrs. Espinoza, who encouraged my curiosity and creativity. As 
a parent, I recall taking my daughters to their first day of 
kindergarten--they came home excited to tell my wife and me what they 
learned and to showcase their art and science projects in our home. 
Kindergarten prepared my girls for their later school success and 
cultivated their life-long love of learning. I will be just as proud to 
see my daughter Melinda graduate from high school next month as I was 
the day of her first school graduation, her kindergarten graduation.
  It is a pleasure to introduce this resolution that honors 
kindergarten. It is my hope that we can use this day now, and in the 
future, to call attention to

[[Page S4160]]

kindergarten and to discuss ways in which we can improve kindergarten 
classrooms throughout the Nation.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution and 
preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid on the 
table, and any statements be printed in the Record, without intervening 
action or debate.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 119) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 119

       Whereas Friedrich Froebel, known as the ``Father of 
     Kindergarten'', opened the first kindergarten classroom on 
     April 21, 1837, with the goal of shaping young children in a 
     nurturing, educational, and protected environment;
       Whereas kindergarten has a long history of enhancing 
     children's cognitive, physical, and social development in the 
     United States and throughout the world;
       Whereas Margarethe Meyer Schurz opened the first German-
     speaking kindergarten in the United States in 1856, Elizabeth 
     Peabody opened the first English-speaking kindergarten in 
     Boston, Massachusetts, in 1873, and the first public school 
     kindergarten classrooms were established under the leadership 
     of Susan Blow and William Torrey Harris in St. Louis, 
     Missouri, in the early 1870s;
       Whereas kindergarten is a critical year in children's 
     formal education, as well as in their continued physical, 
     social, and emotional development, that prepares them for 
     later school success and lifelong learning;
       Whereas quality kindergarten programs use developmentally, 
     culturally, and linguistically appropriate curricula, 
     teaching practices, and assessments to support each child's 
     learning and development progress to reach his or her maximum 
     potential;
       Whereas teachers who teach kindergarten need to have 
     specialized knowledge and skills in working with young 
     children to respond to the unique interests, learning styles, 
     and developmental characteristics of children in their 
     kindergarten year;
       Whereas kindergarten programs need to be ready for all 
     children who are eligible, including children with 
     disabilities and children who are not native English 
     speakers, and their families;
       Whereas kindergarten programs should collaborate and 
     coordinate with preschools and with the other early 
     elementary grades in order to provide a continuum of 
     appropriate, effective early learning for all children as 
     they transition to and through the early grades of school;
       Whereas in 2001, more than more 3,700,000 children between 
     the ages of 4 and 6 years old attended kindergarten, 
     including full-day, half-day, or alternate day programs;
       Whereas the percentage of children attending full-day 
     kindergarten programs has grown from 28 percent in 1977 to 60 
     percent in 2001; and
       Whereas establishment of a ``National Kindergarten 
     Recognition Day'' will help draw attention to the critical 
     role kindergarten plays as the transitional year from early 
     education programs to the elementary and secondary education 
     system: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates April 21, 2005, as ``National Kindergarten 
     Recognition Day'' to raise public awareness about the impact 
     of the kindergarten year on the development of our nation's 
     children; and
       (2) urges the people of the United States to recognize the 
     historic tradition of kindergarten in the United States and 
     its contribution to preparing children for their elementary 
     and secondary educational achievement and experiences.

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