Murray Urges Support for Increased Investments in Early Learning Programs

Murray: “If we are serious about closing education gaps in grades K through 12, and if we are truly committed to making sure all students have the chance to succeed, we must invest in quality early childhood education.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor supporting an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act that would expand access to early learning programs. In her remarks, Murray highlighted provisions she fought for in the Every Child Achieves Act that would help improve and expand access to high-quality preschool. Murray called on her colleagues to build on that progress by supporting an amendment from Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to increase investments in early childhood education.

Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s remarks:

“…one of the best ways I believe we can strengthen our education system is by making sure more students start kindergarten ready to learn. So as we work to fix No Child Left Behind, we also have the opportunity to expand access to high-quality early childhood education and set students on a path toward success. I’m proud of the bipartisan early learning grants we secured in the base of this bill. And I think we should continue to build on that bipartisan progress to make sure more students have access to high-quality early learning programs. That is exactly what Senator Casey’s amendment would do.”

“…it would provide federal funding to every state that commits to improve access to high-quality early learning opportunities for all low- and moderate-income four-year-olds. And for the states that already meet that goal, this will help them offer preschool to three-year-olds. This amendment would also support states that don’t yet have the infrastructure needed to provide preschool to all low- and moderate income kids.  With Preschool Development Grants, these states will be able to build up their early learning systems. This amendment also provides funding for Early Head Start and child care partnerships to improve the quality of child care for infants and toddlers through age three. And it provides funding for early learning services for young children with disabilities. And finally, this amendment also recognizes the importance of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.”

“...I’m glad to say this amendment would be fully paid for by closing a wasteful corporate tax loophole. Our tax code is riddled with wasteful loopholes and special interest carve-outs. And far too many of these tax breaks are skewed to benefit the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations. But some of my Republican colleagues are objecting to bringing this amendment up, solely because it would close one of these corporate tax loopholes. It’s disappointing that Republicans are choosing the biggest corporations over our youngest learners.”

“In reauthorizing this education bill, we have the chance to help more students start kindergarten ready to learn. With this amendment, we have the opportunity set kids on a path toward success not just in grade school but into adulthood. And we have the chance to fortify our economic competitiveness for years to come. That’s why I urge my colleagues to support this bill that already contains bipartisan early learning grants.  And I urge my colleagues to take a step further and invest in preschool programs so more students can start school on strong footing.”

Full text of Senator Murray’s remarks:

“Thank you, M. President. As we continue to debate this bipartisan bill to fix the badly broken No Child Left Behind law, I want to take a step back to lay out why this is so important.

“First, the idea of a strong public education for all children is part of who we are as a nation. It’s sewn into the fabric of America.

“Providing a quality education is also an economic imperative. When all students have the chance to learn, we strengthen our future workforce, our country grows stronger, and we empower the next generation of Americans to lead the world.

“Education is like insurance for our nation’s future economic competitiveness in the years to come.  It opens up more opportunities for more students—and it helps our economy grow from the middle out, not the top down.

“And, M. President, one of the best ways I believe we can strengthen our education system is by making sure more students start kindergarten ready to learn. So as we work to fix No Child Left Behind, we also have the opportunity to expand access to high-quality early childhood education and set students on a path toward success.

“I’m proud of the bipartisan early learning grants we secured in the base of this bill. And I think we should continue to build on that bipartisan progress to make sure more students have access to high-quality early learning programs. That is exactly what Senator Casey’s amendment would do. And I urge my colleagues to support it.

“First, it’s important to understand why early learning is essential. Learning begins at birth. Research suggests that before children set foot in kindergarten, they have already developed a foundation that will determine all of the learning, health, and behavior that follows. Early learning programs can strengthen that foundation so more students can start their K-12 education on strong footing. 

“Preschool programs can be especially important for students from low-income backgrounds.  A child growing up in poverty will hear 30 million fewer words by her third birthday, compared to a child from a more affluent family. That’s a serious disadvantage.

“By the time she starts kindergarten, the deck will already be stacked against her and her future success. Studies have confirmed both the short- and long-term benefits of quality early learning. Children who attend preschool are less likely to repeat a grade, they are less likely to be placed in special education, they are less likely to drop out of school, depend on social safety net programs, or commit a crime, and they’re more likely to go to college and earn higher wages.

“Research suggests we get back between $7 and $8 for every dollar we invest in high-quality preschool programs. Simply put, early learning is one of the smartest investments we can make for our families, our children, and our country.

“But today, just 14 percent of three-year olds in America are enrolled in federal or state-funded preschool programs, and 41 percent of four-year-olds are enrolled.

“If we are serious about closing education gaps in grades K through 12, and if we are truly committed to making sure all students have the chance to succeed, we must invest in quality early childhood education.

“M. President—I was pleased that during the Committee debate on this bill, we were able to pass a bipartisan amendment for early childhood education. 

“I want to thank my colleague Senator Isakson for working with me to include this program in our Committee markup. Throughout this process, I’ve appreciated the way he’s worked with me on a bipartisan basis to improve this legislation.

“Our amendment, which is now a part of the base bill that has come to the floor, would create a grant program for states that want to improve early childhood education coordination, quality, and access.

“The program would target resources to low- and moderate-income families. States that want to serve children from birth to the time they enter kindergarten would be eligible. And it will help support the work that states – like my home state of Washington – are already doing to make sure more of our youngest learners have access to preschool.

“These grants will help states improve the quality of their early childhood system, and also expand access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children.

“M. President, while I’m proud of what we’ve achieved in the base bill on early childhood education, this is not the last step we need to take to improve and expand access to high-quality preschool.

“These grants are a step in the right direction. But we need to significantly increase investments to ensure that every child starts kindergarten ready to succeed.

“My colleague, the senior senator from Pennsylvania, is offering an amendment that would expand access to high-quality preschool programs.

“First, it would provide federal funding to every state that commits to improve access to high-quality early learning opportunities for all low- and moderate-income four-year-olds. And for the states that already meet that goal, this will help them offer preschool to three-year-olds.

“This amendment would also support states that don’t yet have the infrastructure needed to provide preschool to all low- and moderate income kids.  With Preschool Development Grants, these states will be able to build up their early learning systems. This amendment also provides funding for Early Head Start and child care partnerships to improve the quality of child care for infants and toddlers through age three. And it provides funding for early learning services for young children with disabilities.

“And finally, this amendment also recognizes the importance of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. I was proud to help create this program to deliver voluntary parent education and family support services directly to parents with young children. 

“M. President, I’m glad to say this amendment would be fully paid for by closing a wasteful corporate tax loophole. Our tax code is riddled with wasteful loopholes and special interest carve-outs. And far too many of these tax breaks are skewed to benefit the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations.

“But some of my Republican colleagues are objecting to bringing this amendment up, solely because it would close one of these corporate tax loopholes. It’s disappointing that Republicans are choosing the biggest corporations over our youngest learners. 

“I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to expand access to early learning. Investing in our youngest learners is so important for children and their families. And it is one of the smartest investments we can make so students can start kindergarten ready to learn and succeed later in life.

“M. President, this shouldn’t be a partisan issue. When I’ve talked to sheriffs in my state, they tell me that the young people they bring into the police station might have chosen a better path in life if they had a stronger start in school. That’s why law enforcement officials across the country want Congress to expand early learning. 

“Military leaders have also stressed the importance of early learning investments. In fact, at a Senate hearing last year, retired Air Force Brigadier General Douglas Pierce said ‘How we prepare are youngest kids to learn and succeed has a profound impact on our military readiness.’

“Business leaders have also called on Congress to support preschool programs, because they will need the students of today to be able to create and take on the jobs of the 21st century global economy.

“Lawmakers from red states and blue states alike also see early learning as a wise investment. Alabama, Kansas, and Michigan – states with Republican governors and Republican-controlled legislatures – have recently made stronger investments in early learning.

“M. President, it’s time the U.S. Senate catches up with what state lawmakers, business leaders, law enforcement officials, and military leaders already recognize. We need to invest in early childhood education so all students can start school ready to learn.

“The importance of early childhood education is something I’ve witnessed firsthand. Before I ever thought much about running for elected office, I taught preschool in a small community in my home state of Washington.  I remember the first day with new students would always start the same way.  Some kids wouldn’t know how to hold a pencil or how to turn a page in a book.

“But over the first few months, they would start to catch on. They learned how to listen at story time. And they learned how to line up for recess. By the time they left for kindergarten, they had those basic skills and so many more, so they could tackle a full curriculum in school.  I’ve seen the kind of transformation that early learning can inspire in a child.

“M. President, if we are serious about strengthening our education system, we must make sure more children have the chance to get a strong start in preschool.

“In reauthorizing this education bill, we have the chance to help more students start kindergarten ready to learn. With this amendment, we have the opportunity set kids on a path toward success not just in grade school but into adulthood. And we have the chance to fortify our economic competitiveness for years to come.

“That’s why I urge my colleagues to support this bill that already contains bipartisan early learning grants.  And I urge my colleagues to take a step further and invest in preschool programs so more students can start school on strong footing.

“Thank you, M. President. I yield the floor.”