High-quality early education is one of the most important opportunities we can give our children. A solid early learning foundation helps children succeed later in school, helps America compete in a global market and gives all Americans an equal opportunity to succeed in life. Today, 70 percent of families with children include two working parents or one unmarried working parent. Working parents need access to good early education and child care for their children to help prepare them for school.
 

Head Start Early Education Bill Signed into Law

On November 14, 2007, by a vote of 381-36, the House passed the conference report for the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, which was later signed into law on December 12, 2007. Head Start has been the premiere early childhood education program in the U.S. for more than 40 years, serving more than 20 million children in that time. The legislation helps more children arrive at school ready to succeed by improving teacher and classroom quality, expanding access to Head Start for more children, improving comprehensive services for children in Head Start and their families, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars only fund Head Start centers that are well-run and high-quality. More »
 

Legislators Urge Secretary Leavitt to Reconsider Recent Ruling

Legislators wrote HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt in September 2008 to urge him to reconsider a recent ruling that could make it more difficult to achieve the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act's goal of improving services to underserved populations. Read the letter here »
 

Strengthen Our Schools

High-quality pre-kindergarten helps children succeed in school and in life. The Strengthen Our Schools Initiative helps states establish, expand or enhance high-quality voluntary state pre-k systems so that all children can enter school ready to succeed.
 

Better Training and Pay = Quality Child Care

Studies have repeatedly shown that one of the leading reasons for poor-quality child care is low pay and high turnover among child care staff, who on average make just a little more than $17,000 annually.

 

National Summit on America's Children

On May 22, Chairman Miller co-chaired the National Summit on America's Children, a day-long session convened by Speaker Pelosi that brought together national experts on the latest scientific findings about early childhood development and its impact on children's health and their ability to succeed in school.
Archived webcast and more information on the Summit »