[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 61 (Thursday, April 17, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3138-S3139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the Week of the Young 
Child, taking place this week, April 13 through 19.
  Sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young 
Children, the Week of the Young Child is held annually to honor young 
children and those who make a difference in their lives. This year's 
theme is ``Bring Communities Together for Children--Children Bring 
Communities Together''. This week presents an opportunity for us all to 
focus on the needs of the 20 million young children around the country. 
It shines a light on the importance of issues like affordable childcare 
for working families, access to quality early childhood educational 
programs, and the availability of adequate health care.
  As a father and a grandfather, I am troubled by the fact that so many 
young children in this country live with the effects of poverty and 
inadequate health and child care every day. It is estimated that 24 
percent of American children under the age of 6 live in poverty and 24 
percent of those children are without health insurance. In addition, 
although nearly 50 percent of working families rely on outside 
childcare, fees for these programs are skyrocketing, leaving them out 
of reach for too many. The Week of the Young Child highlights the role 
of the Federal, State, and local governments, as well as private 
organizations and the general public, in alleviating these problems and 
working toward a stronger, healthier community.
  The Week of the Young Child also gives us an opportunity to recognize 
and celebrate the programs and organizations that provide vital 
services to young children and their families. For example, the Head 
Start Program provides comprehensive early education and health 
services to almost 1 million low-income preschool children to help them 
prepare for and succeed in school.
  Additionally, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, CCDBG, 
provides funding to States for childcare services for low-income 
families and activities intended to improve the overall quality and 
supply of childcare. For families transitioning to financial

[[Page S3139]]

independence, CCDBG-funded services play an especially significant 
role.
  Investing in America's young children is one of the best steps we can 
take to ensure the future success of our Nation. I am pleased to 
recognize the Week of the Young Child, and I extend my thanks to those 
in Nevada--and around the country--who provide for our young children 
on a daily basis.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, today I strongly support Senator 
Salazar's resolution designating this week, the third week in April, as 
the ``Week of the Young Child.'' I hope the resolution represents a new 
commitment by all of us in Congress to strengthen the services young 
children need to become full and productive members of our society in 
the years ahead.
  Last year's reauthorization of the Head Start Act was a significant 
step in the right direction to assure access to quality early childhood 
education. The act expanded coverage to families just above the poverty 
line and provided additional flexibility to assist more poor families 
as they make the transition to work and struggle to keep up with the 
rising cost of living in today's new economy. We also renewed our 
commitment to underserved populations, such as Native Americans and 
migrant and seasonal farm worker families, and worked to ensure that 
every teacher in every Head Start classroom is highly qualified.
  In addition, the reauthorization established an Early Childhood 
Education Advisory Council to assess the needs children in of early 
childhood programs and develop a comprehensive plan for improving the 
quality of services provided. That effort will improve professional 
development, upgrade standards, enhance connections among programs, and 
improve data collection. States ready to take on the challenge of 
implementing these needed improvements qualify for inventive grants to 
get that work underway. Together these reforms strengthen our 
commitment to provide both quality childcare, and quality early 
learning opportunities for the Nation's youth. But there is still much 
more to be done.
  The research is clear--high quality early education makes a profound 
difference in the lives of children, especially at-risk children. In 
fact, many experts believe that 85 percent of a child's intellect is 
established before a child reaches the age of five. Unless we begin to 
educate at-risk children before they reach kindergarten, we may lose 
them forever. Students who start school behind tend to stay behind, and 
early childhood education makes all the difference. Those who have 
access to high quality early childhood education are 30 percent more 
likely to graduate from high school, twice as likely to go on to 
college, and are 40 percent less likely to need expensive special 
education programs or be held back a grade.
  But the positive benefits extend beyond the classroom. Early 
childhood education helps to break the devastating cycle of crime and 
poverty. Nobel Laureate James Heckman's study of at-risk boys who 
receive quality early education shows that less than 10 percent of the 
boys who participated would be convicted of a crime and less than 2 
percent would end up on welfare--rates significantly lower than those 
who did not receive such education.
  Quality early education programs are supportive of young children in 
ways that enable them to become productive members of society. By 
cultivating educated, law abiding members of society we help to 
guarantee our national competitiveness, the stability of our economy 
and the fabric of our communities for the years ahead. Early childhood 
education creates better students, better workers and better citizens.
  We must invest in such education for sake of our students and our 
national well being. We know the best way to ensure that our students 
receive quality early education is by giving them a highly qualified 
teacher. Yet, early childhood educators continue to be overworked and 
undervalued in our society. Prekindergarten teachers get paid on 
average less than half what an elementary school teacher gets paid. The 
Bureau of Labor statistics estimates that the average salary of a pre-
school teacher is $21,730--closer to the salaries of school bus 
drivers, at $22,890, than any other group of educators, all with median 
salaries over $44,000.
  Inadequate wages make it nearly impossible to recruit and retain 
qualified early childhood educators. The number of childcare providers 
with bachelor's degrees declines year after year, and neither their 
wages nor the high rates of turnover are acceptable. We must make it a 
national priority to guarantee that early childhood educators are paid 
and supported in a manner that reflects their valuable contributions to 
our Nation's future.
  We have come a long way in assuring that our Nation's young children 
have access to the supports and services they need, but our mission is 
far from complete. This is no time for complaining. We must continue to 
expand our support for our nation's youngest children, for they truly 
are America's future. Let's use this ``Week of the Young Child'' to 
emphasize that vital point for communities across our great country.

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