Chairman Miller Statement at Enrollment Ceremony for Head Start Early Childhood Education Program

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today at an enrollment ceremony for bipartisan legislation to improve and reauthorize the Head Start early childhood development and education program. The legislation, which was signed at the ceremony by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), will now go to President Bush for his signature.

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I’d like to thank all of my colleagues for helping us craft this strong bipartisan reauthorization of the Head Start early childhood education program.  It’s great to be joined by kids from the Mazique Head Start center and their teachers and parents. Welcome to all of you – it’s great to have you here.

Nothing is more important than helping all children achieve success in school and in life. And no one understands that better than the people here in this room. I want to thank all of you for your dedication to America’s children and your tireless efforts to improve Head Start.

In particular, I’d like to thank Latrina Johnson, Pat Stroh, and Grayland Hilt, who flew in from my district in California to be here with us today.

For more than 40 years, Head Start has been the premiere early childhood education program in this country.

Head Start remains a cornerstone of our efforts to help all children learn, strengthen families and communities, and provide all Americans with the opportunity to meet their fullest potential.

This bill builds on Head Start’s past successes and integrates the best science and early childhood practices to help prepare children to succeed in school. 

It reinvigorates Head Start – allowing it to better serve allowing it to better serve children, parents, and neighborhoods. And it lays the foundation for a brighter future for our country.

I want to especially thank Speaker Pelosi for her commitment to investing in early childhood education – and leading us in the right direction for America’s families.  

Thank you.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Kiley / Rachel Racusen
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-226-0853