With so much focus in Congress on cutting vital programs to reduce a deficit that is already shrinking, Senator Patty Murray’s remarks yesterday at the Center for American Progress on investing in our youngest children were exciting to hear. Her message was clear: expanding access to high-quality early childhood programs is a wise investment, not just because of the economic returns — which are substantial — but also because expanding access to high-quality programs gives children a chance to succeed.
"I believe our budget, and the debate around developing a budget, should be about our values and priorities — about what kind of country we want to be in the future. But in recent years, our budget debate has been too focused on averting artificial crises. This has made it extremely difficult to focus on policies that confront real, long-term problems, like maintaining our leadership in the 21st century and continuing to grow our middle class. Expanding access to quality early childhood education is exactly this kind of policy. It is a proven opportunity to help our kids — and therefore our country — succeed in the future. It would help millions of working parents right now. And we’ve got to get it done." – Senator Patty Murray
With so much focus in Congress on cutting vital programs to reduce a deficit that is already shrinking, Senator Patty Murray’s remarks yesterday at the Center for American Progress on investing in our youngest children were exciting to hear. Her message was clear: expanding access to high-quality early childhood programs is a wise investment, not just because of the economic returns — which are substantial — but also because expanding access to high-quality programs gives children a chance to succeed.
Senator Murray talked about her own experience as a preschool teacher and explained that she could identify, on the very first day, which children had been in a program for three-year-olds and which ones hadn’t. She discussed the broad range of skills that children develop through their early learning experiences, such as participation during circle time and the ability to hold and use a pencil. These skills are building blocks that children need before entering the K-12 system to ensure they are not behind before they even start kindergarten. Quoting Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, Murray said, “Skill begets skill. When a child knows how to turn a page, someone can teach her to read a book. But if she doesn’t, she will be learning how to turn pages while another child is reading them.”
Early learning is important not only for individual children, but our nation as a whole. High-quality early education can help ensure U.S. leadership in the 21st century, expand the middle class, and maintain a competitive edge globally, Murray argued. She noted that China and India have set goals for expanding their children’s access to early education, but that the U.S. has not made a similar commitment on this important issue. She made clear that needs to change — and she will be part of changing it. She cited her work with Senators Harkin, Casey and Hirono to develop a comprehensive early childhood education bill (aligned with the President's early learning proposal), as well as her prioritization of early education investments as chair of the Senate Budget Committee.
“Today, our country is in very large part the product of decisions that were made decades ago.” Senator Murray concluded. Senator Murray is already championing expansion of high-quality early childhood education and we hope more Senators and Representatives — as well as parents, teachers, advocates, and others throughout the country — will do the same.