Skip to contentNational Women's Law Center

Lauren Meyer, Intern

My Take

President Obama Highlights the Importance of Early Learning Opportunities in Speech

Posted by Lauren Meyer, Intern | Posted on: July 25, 2013 at 02:54 pm

 “If we don't make this investment [in education], we're going to put our kids, our workers and our country at a competitive disadvantage for decades. So we have to begin in the earliest years, and that's why I'm going to keep pushing to make high-quality preschool available for every four-year-old in America. Not just because we know it works for our kids, but because it provides a vital support system for working parents.”
—President Obama, July 24, 2013

President Obama, speaking to a crowd in Galesburg, Illinois highlighted the importance that high-quality early childhood care and education plays in ensuring that our youngest children are poised for upward mobility and success in life—and in building a strong economy that works for all Americans. The President made clear that early education is a key component of ensuring the country’s economic prosperity. He also emphasized that early education benefits both children and their parents.

Ensuring that children have affordable, high-quality early care and education means that parents are able to participate in the workforce, have the peace of mind they need to be productive at work, and provide for their families. When parents are able to work and contribute their talents, they also help make our economy as a whole more vibrant.

Read more...

Early Education: Setting the U.S. Up For Success

Posted by | Posted on: June 26, 2013 at 09:45 am

"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.

Read more...

Governors and State Education Commissioners Highlight the Role of Early Education in Improving Third Grade Reading

Posted by Lauren Meyer, Intern | Posted on: June 05, 2013 at 11:32 am

Yesterday morning’s breakfast forum, hosted by the Washington Post, brought together governors and education commissioners from several states to raise awareness of the importance of reading well by the third grade. Multiple studies show that high-quality early education programs lead to higher reading achievement, in addition to numerous other benefits (Carolina Abecedarian ProjectChicago Child-Parent Centers [PDF], and High/Scope Perry Preschool [PDF]). Several of the participants, including Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, Washington State Superintendent Randy Dorn, and Maryland State Superintendent Lillian Lowry, acknowledged this powerful evidence and the important role that early learning opportunities play in providing for successful literacy growth. High-quality early childhood education was referred to as a “game changer,” an “effective effort to improve reading,” and a way to “success[fully] narrow the achievement gap.”

Read more...