Congressman Sestak Visits School in Rose Valley, Reads to Students

Press Release

Congressman Sestak Visits School in Rose Valley, Reads to Students

Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-7) visited School in Rose Valley on Friday where he took a student guided tour of the school and read to pre-kindergarten students.

"One of the most important gifts we can give our children during the course of their lifetime is the ability to read," said Congressman Sestak. "I always enjoy interacting with the students. Capturing the imagination of children through books is one of life's great pleasures. As a father, I often enjoy opening the eyes of my daughter through storytelling."

School in Rose Valley is progressive private school for children in preschool through sixth grade. The students took Congressman Sestak on a tour of the school, which was built by the community during the Great Depression. He also visited their playground, which is a pirate ship built by the students and named "The Apple Core."
"The Seventh District is fortunate to have a wide variety of high quality schools - from parochial and progressive private schools to excellent public schools," said Joe. "I am here today because I believe, as a member of Congress, it is one of my most important duties to ensure that our children receive the very best education that we can provide them."

As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, Congressman Sestak has championed an early education agenda that focuses on giving our youth the tools to succeed in life, including support for crucial programs such as Head Start and Healthy Start. He has held three education summits to provide an opportunity for education stakeholders in the 7th Congressional district to discuss key educational issues with policy makers and education experts. The summits have covered Head Start, the No Child Left Behind Law, and higher education.

During the first Education Summit's panel discussion on early childhood education, Congressman Sestak's panelists and guests discussed the need to address three issues pertaining to Head Start: continued support of parental involvement in local Head Start policy councils; extending eligibility of Head Start for families up to 130 percent of the poverty level, ways to recruit retain head start teachers, including loan forgiveness. As a result of this discussion, Congressman Sestak worked with Chairman Miller to incorporate parental involvement in local Head Start policy councils and to extend the eligibility of Head Start families into H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start Act. He also offered an amendment during the Head Start Reauthorization bill to provide loan forgiveness (up to $17,500) for Head Start teachers, the same currently offered to math, science, and special education teachers.

Congressman Sestak is also heavily involved as a member of the Education and Labor Committee, working on the subcommittee to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law. He is focusing on revisions and topics that came-out of his third education summit.

Born and raised in Delaware County, former 3-star Admiral Joe Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years and now serves as the Representative from the 7th District of Pennsylvania. He led a series of operational commands at sea, including Commander of an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 U.S. and allied ships with over 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft that conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 9/11, Joe was the first Director of "Deep Blue," the Navy's anti-terrorism unit that established strategic and operations policies for the "Global War on Terrorism." He served as President Clinton's Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the White House, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. According to the office of the House Historian, Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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