For more information, contact
Alan Simpson at NAEYC
202-350-8838 or asimpson@naeyc.org

New Congress Has Opportunity to Change Direction and Create Opportunities for Children

Washington, November 8 - Yesterday, Americans went to the polls and elected the next Congress. As the 110th Congress prepares its agenda, it is critical that it match the rhetoric about the importance of young children with a federal budget and policies that give all children a great start.

"The federal budget cuts of the last five years were the wrong choices for our children and their futures. Now more than ever, Congress must increase our national investments in children's quality and affordable child care, comprehensive Early Head Start and Head Start, better preparation and ongoing professional development of teachers, and health care for all children," said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). "As economist and Nobel laureate James Heckman has said, the best investment we can make is quality early childhood education. Over the long term, the return on that investment will reap economic and societal benefits for all of us."

NAEYC looks forward to working with the U.S. Congress to make the right policy and funding choices for helping children have access to high quality child care, preschool and elementary education and in helping early childhood educators have the knowledge, skills and compensation they need and deserve so that all children have opportunities for success in school and in life.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through age eight. Founded in 1926, the organization now has nearly 100,000 members, and a national network of over 300 local, state and regional affiliates.