Miller: New Grant Competition an Important Step to Increasing Access to High-Quality Early Education
WASHINGTON—Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, applauded U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell’s announcement today of a new grant competition for states to improve early education programs. These grants mirror a central component of the bipartisan Strong Start for America’s Children Act (H.R. 3461), Rep. Miller’s legislation to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities for nearly 20 million children.
The competitive grants, funded by Congress through the 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill, authorizes all states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to apply for funding to develop, enhance, or expand access to high-quality early education programs for children from low- and moderate-income families. The grant program will be jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. While the grants are an important part of President Obama’s budget requests for this year and next, Congress only funded one-third of this year’s request, falling short of what we need to invest in our children.
“The grant competition announced by Secretary Duncan and Secretary Burwell today represents real progress toward providing all children with access to high-quality early education programs,” said Rep. Miller. “These grants affirm the administration’s commitment to ensuring quality early learning for every child, regardless of background or zip code—but this is just the beginning. We have much more to do. We know quality early childhood education works, but too many kids don’t have access to it. That is why the bipartisan Strong Start for America’s Children Act is so critical. This legislation will ensure that all children can benefit from high-quality preschool so a new generation is better prepared to succeed in school and in life. Every child deserves this opportunity.”
Decades of research have shown that high-quality early childhood education programs lead to a wide range of short- and long-term benefits, including better educational outcomes, higher job earnings, and less crime and delinquency.
The Strong Start for America’s Children Act, which has 138 cosponsors, would provide greater funding for the grant competition announced today, along with a significant federal-state partnership for preschool grants and new Early Head Start-child care partnerships. The bill is a primary pillar of the House Democrats’ “Middle Class Jumpstart” agenda to support working Americans.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced the Senate companion to H.R. 3461, which passed out of that committee earlier this year.
For more information on the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, click here.
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