Madam Speaker, as we pass the reigns of our nation to future generations, we must acknowledge that America’s continued prosperity in the global economy will not be ensured unless we equip our children, the leaders of tomorrow, with the tools they will need to succeed down the road.  To achieve this, we must cultivate, not just the most privileged students, not only our brightest students, but also the students who grow up with disadvantages, indeed we must nurture the potential of all our children.  For it is in the best interest of our country to maximize the contributions and success of every American.

I recently visited the Head Start program at Indian Trails Elementary in my district in Louisville, which is supported by the Family Literacy.  The veritable bee hive of activity spoke louder than 40 years of studies on Head Start’s progress, but they said the same thing: These thoroughly engaged children actively were building a solid foundation for their futures, and they were loving the pursuit.

Just as their predecessors, the 1,800 Head Start students in Louisville and the one million nationwide are making tremendous gains in family literacy, vocabulary, early writing, letter recognition, and social behavior—skills that pay dividends in future pursuits.

We have an opportunity today to extend and improve this program, which is so vital to the preparation of today’s youth, crucial to America’s success, and even offers safeguards to ensure equality.  It is our responsibility, and I believe our honor and privilege, to reauthorize Head Start and I urge my colleagues to join me in doing so.  I yield back.