Early Education Makes a Cameo Appearance in the President's Address

by Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Analyst
National Women’s Law Center

In his address to Congress last night, President Obama laid out the three components he believes are key to the future strength of our economy and our nation: energy, health care, and education. And he made clear that a critical component of his agenda on education is early education:

“…it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education—from the day they are born to the day they begin a career.  Already, we have made a historic investment in education through the economic recovery plan. We have dramatically expanded early childhood education and will continue to improve its quality, because we know that the most formative learning comes in those first years of life.”

By making early education part of his plan for rebuilding the economy, he demonstrated that he recognizes that early education is essential for the workforce of today and tomorrow. And by highlighting early education in his first major speech before Congress, he indicated that it is an issue that will receive attention and resources throughout his presidency.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with $2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, $2.1 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start, and other early childhood investments, is a down payment on the President’s commitment to ensuring access to affordable, high-quality early care and education for children and families. We now wait to see the President’s budget—the outline of which will be released tomorrow, with the comprehensive document expected in April—for details on how he will continue to carry out that commitment.