[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 6 (Monday, January 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
   S. 206. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to establish a program to help States expand the education 
system to include at least 1 year of early education preceding the year 
a child enters kindergarten; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I rise to reintroduce the Early 
Education Act. Early education is critical to preparing children across 
our Nation with the initial skills and abilities to successfully begin 
their education. While the amount of support for early education has 
been increasing, great discrepancies remain between the quality of 
programs and the level of access from State to State.
  This bill is a step forward in making a national commitment to giving 
all children access to high quality pre-kindergarten programs that have 
been proven to have a solid impact on a child's success later in school 
and in life.
  Of the more than 8 million 3- and 4-year-olds that could be in early 
education, just over half are enrolled in an early education program. 
In my State of California alone, just fewer than 60 percent of 3- and 
4-year-olds are in some kind of preschool.
  The result is that too many children enter elementary school 
unprepared to learn.
  Studies have shown that children who participate in pre-kindergarten 
programs are less likely to be held back a grade, show greater learning 
retention and initiative, have better social skills, are more 
enthusiastic about school, and are more likely to have good attendance 
records.
  Almost all experts now agree that an early education experience is 
one of the most effective strategies for improving later school 
performance. The National Research Council reported that pre-
kindergarten educational opportunities are critical in developing early 
language and literacy skills and preventing reading difficulties in 
young children.
  The future of our Nation's economy depends on the next generation of 
workers, and high-quality early childhood education is key to preparing 
them for their careers. In the long run, pre-kindergarten programs pay 
for themselves. Decades of research have proven that early education 
programs yield between $7 to $16 for every dollar invested.
   My bill, the Early Education Act, would create a program in at least 
10 States to provide 1 year of pre-kindergarten early education in 
public schools. The bill would require a dollar for dollar match by the 
States and would authorize no less than $300 million annually for these 
programs. These funds would be used by States to supplement--not 
supplant--other Federal, State or local funds. This bill would serve 
almost 150,000 children across the country.
  Our children need a solid foundation that builds on our current 
education system by providing them with early learning skills. I urge 
my colleagues to support this legislation.
                                 ______