Presidential Candidates Questionnaire

Senator Barack Obama Response

What are your views on the needs of young children (birth to kindergarten) and what specific steps would you take to address those needs?

Every dollar invested in early childhood programs yields at least a $7 return to society.  As President, I will launch a Children’s First Agenda that provides care, learning and support to families with children ages zero to five.  My “Zero to Five” plan will:

• Provide funding for states to create or expand high-quality early care and education programs for pregnant women and children.
• Quadruple the number of infants and toddlers participating in Early Head Start
• Provide funding for states to adopt voluntary, universal pre-School.

What are your views on the ways in which our nation can close the education achievement gap with a particular focus on the early elementary grade years?

I promote quality early childhood education for all children.  I will reform No Child Left Behind to improve assessments and support schools that need help. I will recruit a generation of new teachers with service scholarships and provide new teachers with mentorship and support.  I will help school districts reward accomplished educators who excel in the classroom and take on tough jobs like mentoring and curriculum development. I will promote strong science learning in early grades and expand access to high-quality afterschool programs.  I will urge parents to turn off the television, read to their children, and review their homework. 

What kinds of expertise and experiences will you be looking for in people when filling the senior Administration positions that have responsibility for the key federal early childhood education programs, such as child care and Head Start?

The most important qualification will be demonstrated expertise and leadership in the fields of education and early childhood development.  I also believe it is important to fills these positions with accomplished educators who have teaching and administrative experience and a track record of results.  We need people who will base their judgments on evidence, are forward thinking and who will be open to and develop new ideas.  It is important to me to have an Administration filled with officials who are going to be reformers in the sense that they are willing to be aggressive and creative.

What do you consider the appropriate federal investment in programs that support young children’s early care and education (such as child care and Head Start)?  Please be as specific as possible?

I will spend approximately $10 billion on my early childhood programs. 

What are you views on raising the compensation of child care workers and what steps would you take to make attracting and keeping quality educators in the early childhood education field?

I will encourage states to use their Child Care Development Block Grant quality set-aside funding and other federal supports to better coordinate all state birth-to-five services.  This will help ensure that the programs act in an efficient manner to provide all children with early learning resources.  And I will double the resources to improve compensation of child care workers and to develop quality rating systems that reflect higher standards and supports for teacher training and professional development.  Other examples of quality enhancements include improving student/teacher ratios, providing family support in child care settings, and increasing professional development and teacher training.

As President, what would be your top 4 priorities for legislative action in the first 100 days of your Administration?

• Immediately end the war in Iraq by commencing a phased withdrawal of our troops.
• Move forward on my plan for universal health care for all Americans, which includes mandatory coverage of all children and an expansion of the SCHIP program.
• Begin the process of setting the nation on a path to energy independence by advancing my plan to combat climate change, free ourselves from the tyranny of oil, and create new green jobs.
•  Reform No Child Left Behind and offer my comprehensive pre-K to 12 education plan.