[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 27, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    REMEMBERING DR. BETTYE CALDWELL

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Dr. Bettye 
Caldwell, who pioneered early childhood education in the United States.
  Dr. Caldwell's groundbreaking research at Syracuse University in the 
1960s paved the way for the national Head Start Program and was the 
inspiration for countless researchers and programs to educate young 
children in the United States and around the world.
  She received her bachelor's degree from Baylor University in 1945 and 
went on to earn a master's from the University of Iowa and her 
doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis.
  As a developmental psychologist, her work with pediatrician Dr. 
Julius B. Richmond convinced her of the need infants and toddlers have 
for emotional and cognitive support. They focused on the development 
gap for children in disadvantaged homes and sought to combine childcare 
with education, while keeping families strong. With this mission, she 
founded and directed the Children's Center in Syracuse, NY. It was the 
first enrichment program for young children in the United States.
  Dr. Caldwell and her husband, Dr. Fred Caldwell, moved to Little 
Rock, AR, in 1969, where she became the principal of the Kramer School. 
Under her leadership, ``the Kramer Project'' gained national attention 
as the site of the Center for Early Development and Education. Bettye's 
family notes that she considered the Kramer School her most significant 
work.
  She joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock 
in the mid-1970s and continued at the university for almost 20 years. 
UALR chancellor Joel E. Anderson noted recently, ``Dr. Caldwell changed 
the way parents and policymakers understood early childhood 
development.'' She eventually retired from UAMS College of Medicine as 
a professor of pediatrics in child development.
  Many scholars know her best as one of the developers of the HOME 
research tool that helps observe the impact of a supportive home 
environment on a child's development. It is used today by researchers 
around the world.
  A popular speaker and prolific writer, Dr. Caldwell spoke in all 50 
States and many foreign countries. She published more than 300 articles 
and edited several books. She served as president of the National 
Association for the Education of Young Children and gave her time and 
knowledge to organizations in Arkansas and throughout the Nation.
  She received many honors and awards for her work, including being 
named Woman of the Year by Ladies Home Journal in 1978. Later in life, 
she was honored with the prestigious Dolley Madison Award for 
Outstanding Lifelong Contribution in 2001.
  Dr. Caldwell passed away on Sunday, April 17, 2016, at the age of 91. 
In addition to her incredible professional contributions, her family 
noted, ``There was just little that Bettye could not do.'' She was 
married for 58 years to her college sweetheart, raised twins--her son 
Paul Caldwell and daughter Elizabeth Lawson--and adored her two 
granddaughters, Becca Ray and Rachel Caldwell. She was a talented 
seamstress, gourmet cook, and gardener. She loved to sing and enjoyed 
having guests in her home.
  I am honored to work with Dr. Caldwell's granddaughter, Becca, and to 
know what an extraordinary legacy she left as an educator, researcher, 
mother, and grandmother. She was a true leader and pioneer whose work 
will continue to impact millions of children each day.

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