[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7609]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 119--DESIGNATING APRIL 21, 2005, AS ``NATIONAL 
                     KINDERGARTEN RECOGNITION DAY''

  Mr. SALAZAR (for himself, Ms. Landrieu, and Mr. Bingaman) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 119

       Whereas Friedrich Froebel, known as the ``Father of 
     Kindergarten'', opened the first kindergarten classroom on 
     April 21, 1837, with the goal of shaping young children in a 
     nurturing, educational, and protected environment;

       Whereas kindergarten has a long history of enhancing 
     children's cognitive, physical, and social development in the 
     United States and throughout the world;

       Whereas Margarethe Meyer Schurz opened the first German-
     speaking kindergarten in the United States in 1856, Elizabeth 
     Peabody opened the first English-speaking kindergarten in 
     Boston, Massachusetts, in 1873, and the first public school 
     kindergarten classrooms were established under the leadership 
     of Susan Blow and William Torrey Harris in St. Louis, 
     Missouri, in the early 1870s;

       Whereas kindergarten is a critical year in children's 
     formal education, as well as in their continued physical, 
     social, and emotional development, that prepares them for 
     later school success and lifelong learning;

       Whereas quality kindergarten programs use developmentally, 
     culturally, and linguistically appropriate curricula, 
     teaching practices, and assessments to support each child's 
     learning and development progress to reach his or her maximum 
     potential;

       Whereas teachers who teach kindergarten need to have 
     specialized knowledge and skills in working with young 
     children to respond to the unique interests, learning styles, 
     and developmental characteristics of children in their 
     kindergarten year;

       Whereas kindergarten programs need to be ready for all 
     children who are eligible, including children with 
     disabilities and children who are not native English 
     speakers, and their families;

       Whereas kindergarten programs should collaborate and 
     coordinate with preschools and with the other early 
     elementary grades in order to provide a continuum of 
     appropriate, effective early learning for all children as 
     they transition to and through the early grades of school;

       Whereas in 2001, more than more 3,700,000 children between 
     the ages of 4 and 6 years old attended kindergarten, 
     including full-day, half-day, or alternate day programs;

       Whereas the percentage of children attending full-day 
     kindergarten programs has grown from 28 percent in 1977 to 60 
     percent in 2001; and

       Whereas establishment of a ``National Kindergarten 
     Recognition Day'' will help draw attention to the critical 
     role kindergarten plays as the transitional year from early 
     education programs to the elementary and secondary education 
     system: Now, therefore, be it

       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates April 21, 2005, as ``National Kindergarten 
     Recognition Day'' to raise public awareness about the impact 
     of the kindergarten year on the development of our nation's 
     children; and
       (2) urges the people of the United States to recognize the 
     historic tradition of kindergarten in the United States and 
     its contribution to preparing children for their elementary 
     and secondary educational achievement and experiences.

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