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For Immediate Release:
April 24, 2007

NAEYC Kicks Off National Week of the Young Child with U.S. Senate Resolution
Colorado Senator Ken Salazar Guides Bi-Partisan Proposal to Passage

(WASHINGTON, DC) - The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) officially kicked off the nation’s Week of the Young Child celebration today with the sponsorship of a Senate resolution in its honor with support from members of both major political parties.

“Today we know more than ever about the importance of children’s earliest years in shaping their learning and development. The Week of the Young Child, April 23, 2007, is a time focused on raising public awareness on helping all children and families be successful in school and beyond,” said Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of NAEYC. “This year, we are thrilled that a bi-partisan resolution passed the United States Senate, led by Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado.”

NAEYC established the Week of the Young Child in 1971. The Week of the Young Child is a time to recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child receives the type of early experiences--at home, at child care and other preschool settings, at school, and in the community--that will promote their positive development and early learning.

Senator Salazar was joined in co-sponsoring the Resolution by Senators Dodd (D-CT), Alexander (R-TN), Burr (R-NC), Collins (R-ME), Clinton (D-NY), Levin (D-MI), Murray (D-WA), Coleman (R-MN), Cochran (R-MS), Corker (R-TN), Conrad (D-ND), Lincoln (D-AR), and Akaka (D-HI).

"I believe early childhood education services serve a vital purpose to improve children's cognitive, social and logical skills,” said U.S. Senator Ken Salazar. These services are proven to help children reach their full potential - decreasing the likelihood that a child will be held back in school, as well as decreasing the cost of special education and juvenile crime resources. With investments in early childhood education services we have seen that every child can participate and grow."

Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has more than 100,000 members worldwide. The association is the largest and most influential advocate for early care and education in the United States.

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