[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. NANCY E. BOYDA

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 14, 2008

  Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, on February 5, 2008 the President 
sent Congress his proposed budget. This budget is out of touch with the 
values of the good people who reside in the Second District of Kansas. 
I am deeply concerned about the President's funding cuts in early 
childhood education.
  Head Start is a successful national school readiness program. It 
provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition and parent 
involvement services to low-income children and their families. 
Unfortunately, Head Start has experienced a 12 percent decline in 
funding from Fiscal Year 2002 through Fiscal Year 2009. These recent 
cuts have left individual Head Start programs strapped for funding and 
only able to serve about 40 percent of the eligible population of 
children and families. Without increased funding, this percentage will 
continue to decrease due to the reality that more families are having 
difficulty making ends meet. For Kansas, this means putting in jeopardy 
the over 50,000 children who currently use these services. I joined 
with my colleagues in sending letters to the Budget Committee and the 
Appropriations Committee asking them to make funding for Head Start a 
priority and hope we will soon vote to increase funds for Head Start.
  The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program provides 
funding for child care for low income families. Child care costs 
continue to skyrocket--Kansas families pay an average of about $9,000 a 
year for an infant in full-time center care. Yet federal support for 
affordable child care hasn't kept pace. Because of funding shortfalls, 
only about one in seven children eligible for federal assistance 
actually receives it. Over the last six years about 150,000 children 
lost child care due to CCDBG funding shortfalls. Congress must renew 
its commitment to making sure our children--our future--aren't the ones 
bearing the burden of tight financial times. Kansans rely on CCDBG--in 
2005, 18,800 Kansas children were served by the CCDBG. We need to make 
sure that Kansas' working parents have access to low-cost, high-quality 
child care so they can continue working and supporting their family. I 
joined in sending a letter to the Appropriations Committee asking them 
to support funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant 
(CCDBG) program and hope to vote for an increase in funding this year.
  My fellow colleagues, it is time that we have a frank and open 
conversation with the American people. The decisions that this Congress 
is going to have to make for this next fiscal year are going to be 
tough, but they must be done. Over the next months, we must work 
together to restore fiscal responsibility and, at the same time, make 
sure we deliver services to our constituents. Being fiscally 
responsible does not mean that we can forget about the importance of 
early childhood education. Programs like Head Start and CCDBG are 
important for everyone involved: they enable lower income families to 
work and improve their economic situation; they make sure that 
dedicated public servants, like child care providers, receive the 
compensation they deserve; and they ensure that all children get the 
social and educational start that will serve them throughout their 
lives.

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