[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 28, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5636-S5637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JADA VARGAS

 Mr. KELLY. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the 
recipient of the 1 millionth Child Development Associate--CDA--
credential. Jada Vargas is an Arizonan who is dedicated to serving her 
community as an early childhood educator, and I am very pleased to 
recognize her achievement.
  Jada lives in Whiteriver, AZ, and is a member of White Mountain 
Apache Tribe. She also serves on the White Mountain Apache Youth 
Council. A recent high school graduate, Jada said she realized she 
wanted to become an early childhood educator after a career and 
technical education course that allowed her to work in a childcare 
center at her high school. Now, she is headed to college to study 
education--and, with her CDA, already has a leg up.
  Early exposure to the early childhood landscape was clearly critical 
for Jada as she thought about her next steps after high school. And it 
couldn't have come at a more needed time. The childcare industry, which 
already standing on unsteady legs, took a heavy hit from the COVID-19 
pandemic. We asked early childhood educators to be heroes as so many 
worked to keep their doors open so parents could do essential work. 
Early in my time in the Senate, I voted to pass the American Rescue 
Plan, which provided $39 billion in support for childcare.
  I hear from Arizonans that this funding was transformative, that 
childcare assistance was critical to keeping their doors open and 
lights on to serve families. Today, the funding provided through 
childcare stabilization grants has expired, yet challenges remain in 
finding and retaining early childhood educators. The market is still 
broken. Too many children remain stuck on waiting lists without the 
essential early education that we know makes a long-term difference.
  Research tells us that if a student can't read well by the time they 
are in the third grade, they are more likely to drop out of high 
school. That has an impact on our productivity, our economy, and on our 
military. Early childhood educators like Jada are often the

[[Page S5637]]

ones who are helping children develop the skills to become readers, 
preparing them for the years of education that lay ahead.
  This is a worthwhile investment. High-quality childcare is imperative 
to strong communities, and I am committed to working with my colleagues 
to provide long-term stability and support to this industry. Part of 
that is finding ways to encourage more folks to dedicate their lives to 
the next generation--and as a CDA holder, Jada is part of that 
solution. She wants to return home once she finishes her education to, 
as she puts it, be a light to the children in her community. We are 
grateful to her for her hard work and dedication to the children and 
families she will serve as a CDA holder, and I hope to see many more 
Arizonans follow in her path.

                          ____________________