Reps. Hanna, Scott Introduce "Strong Start' Legislation to Improve Early Education for America's Children

Press Release

Access to affordable high-quality early learning programs for nearly 20 million children would be dramatically improved under bipartisan legislation introduced today by U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY), co-chair of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Caucus, and U.S. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

The Strong Start for America's Children Act 2015 is an innovative 10-year federal-state partnership to expand and improve early learning opportunities for children across the birth-to-age-five continuum. The bill would fund preschool for four-year old children from families earning below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and encourage states to spend their own funds to support preschool for young children with family incomes above that income level.

"High-quality early learning guarantees a reduction in spending on entitlements, welfare and incarceration," Rep. Hanna (R-NY) said. "It also lowers obesity rates, helping to reduce healthcare costs. By focusing on early education we can begin to break the back of intergenerational poverty, producing more taxpayers and a more competitive America through a better-educated, growing middle class. We cannot guarantee every child equal success in life, but we can promise them the opportunity to be successful. I hope this effort is the beginning of a sustained bipartisan conversation on how expanding access to early education will make our economy more competitive and ensure each child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. One in four children starts their life in poverty. This bill will help ensure their lives do not end in poverty."

Many years of research have found that quality preschool leads to a wide range of short- and long-term benefits, including better educational outcomes, higher job earnings, and lower crime and delinquency rates. The Strong Start for America's Children Act 2015 would improve access to full-day early learning opportunities by establishing federal-state partnerships that prepare children to arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed. The bipartisan legislation is an initiative to provide young children with the necessary early learning tools to succeed in school, and to help them compete in a 21 century workforce later in life.

"Decades of evidence have shown that access to quality early childhood educational opportunities add to the stability and well-being of our communities," said Rep. Scott (D-VA). "Too often low-income and moderate-income children, and students with disabilities, tend to fall behind. Both Democrats and Republicans agree that increased access to quality preschool helps to ensure that all of our children have a fair shot to succeed. Strong Start offers an innovative approach to help states fill the gap for high-quality early learning programs. Early investments in education are not only good for our children and families, it's also good for the future of our nation's economy. "

There is substantial evidence that properly nurturing children in the first three years of life is instrumental to supporting enhanced brain development, cognitive functioning, and emotional and physical health. The Strong Start for America's Children Act 2015 builds on the progress already made by states -- pushed for by Democratic and Republican governors alike -- and will help states that want to start or expand high-quality early learning programs. It will also improve access to high-quality early childhood care and education for infants and toddlers.

The legislation would establish a new federal-state partnership with formula funding for four-year old preschool, with a state match, to all eligible states, based on each state's proportion of four-year olds under 200 percent of the FPL. States would provide sub-grants to high-quality, local providers, including local educational agencies (LEAs) and community-based providers--such as child care and Head Start programs--that have partnerships with LEAs. The bill also authorizes the new Early Head Start partnership with child care to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers. Forty one states and the District of Columbia currently offer state-funded pre-kindergarten programs.

The Strong Start for America's Children Act, first introduced in November 2013, has strong support from an extraordinary cross-section of law enforcement, military leaders, business, faith-based, child advocacy and early childhood education organizations.

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