the President's Early Learning Agenda
Adopted at the in 2014
WHEREAS, President Obama outlined a comprehensive early learning agenda in his State of the Union Address, calling upon Congress and the Administration to expand access to high-quality early childhood programs such as Head Start, public pre-K, childcare, and private preschools; and
WHEREAS, participation in early learning programs will help children from all socioeconomic backgrounds to better realize their full potential by preventing achievement gaps and providing a strong foundation to improve their likelihood to succeed later in school and in life; and
WHEREAS, children three years and younger represent a critically important window for a child s academic, social, and cognitive development; and
WHEREAS, numerous economic studies have demonstrated that these programs are a smart public investment that can generate a significant return on investment for society with a rate of return of $7 or more for each dollar invested through a reduced need for spending on other services, such as remedial education, grade repetition, and special education; and
WHEREAS, the Administration has invested in comprehensive improvements to state early learning systems through Race to the top: Early Learning Challenge; and
WHEREAS, the Administration has taken steps to reform and improve Head Start services by implementing new accountability standards and focusing on school readiness results; and
WHEREAS, nearly one million children under the age of five benefit from Head Start services while the Administration seeks to expand those programs to additional children in vulnerable communities throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, President Obama has announced a proposed Federal investment in Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships through new competitive grants to support states and communities in expanding high quality, full-day early learning and development opportunities for infants and toddlers that meet the needs of working families and prepare children for the transition into preschool; and
WHEREAS, President Obama has proposed the Preschool for All Initiative, in which the U.S. Department of Education would allocate dollars to states to distribute to local school districts and partners to implement preschool services for low- and moderate-income families,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports President Obama s early childhood education agenda and the Administration s investments in Head Start, Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, and the Race to the top: Early Learning Challenge; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to act upon President Obama s calls to expand access to early childhood education programs through the proposed Preschool for All Initiative.