[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 11 (Monday, March 17, 1997)]
[Pages 360-361]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement Announcing the White House Conference on Early Childhood 
Development and Learning

March 13, 1997

    Today Hillary and I are pleased to announce that on April 17, 1997, 
we will host the White House Conference on Early Childhood Development 
and Learning: What New Research on the Brain Tells Us About Our Youngest 
Children. The conference, which will take place at the White House, will 
spotlight exciting new findings about how our children develop, and 
explore how we can make the most of this information to give our 
children what they need to thrive.
    We hope that this one-day conference will make the latest scientific 
research, nearly all supported by the Federal Government, more 
accessible and understandable to America's families. The research 
clearly indicates the importance of children's first few years to their 
later success in school and in life. This conference is a continuation 
of my adminis

[[Page 361]]

tration's commitment to children, and in particular, it follows 
Hillary's work over the years on issues relating to early childhood 
development.
    The conference will examine how we can use this new research in 
practical ways--to be better parents, more informed caregivers, and more 
responsive members of our communities. It will also explore how this 
information can be used by all members of our society--from corporate 
executives to pediatricians, from ministers to elected officials--to 
help strengthen America's families.
    Parents desperately want to do right by their children, and we all 
have a role to play in making sure they have the tools they need to do 
the best job they can. We believe this conference can make a valuable 
contribution.