Senator Ted Kennedy on the Federal Role in Early Care and Education

Few people have been as involved in the struggle for health and education services for children for as long as eight-term Senator Edward J. Kennedy. A staunch supporter of Head Start and other early childhood programs, Kennedy serves as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Preschool Matters asked him about the state of early education and the federal role in it.

Q: Perhaps more than anybody in Washington, you have fought the longest and hardest for early childhood education. As you well know, garnering support for dedicating the kind of resources needed to effectively educate young children has been an uphill battle. Now that substantial new funding is coming by way of the stimulus plan, what are your thoughts?
A: Overall, the recovery investment is a major step toward ending the current economic nightmare and renewing the promise of the American dream, and early childhood education will be one of the most important beneficiaries. More teachers can be trained and hired, and the quality of early learning programs will be increased. There will also be needed new support for child care, which means that more young children will be cared for while their parents are at work or looking for jobs. These steps are significant, but more remains to be done. I look forward to working with Congress and the administration to see that all young children receive the early learning and support they need to be successful when they reach school.

Q: What do you say to those who maintain that ramping up funding for early care and education in a stimulus plan is setting up the early childhood community for a fall since the money coming from stimulus is not permanent funding?
A: Each year of a child's life is important. We can't deny young children today based on what we may or may not do two years from now. These funds are critical to keeping parents working and children in safe and productive early learning environments. In Massachusetts alone, I've heard countless stories of parents no longer able to afford the high cost of child care, and schools struggling to cover basic costs for transportation, food and staff. Few federal dollars are better spent. These investments need to be maintained and even increased, so that all children are not only ready for school, but are also well-prepared to become successful members of the workforce.

Q: With the enhanced funding for Head Start and some bills in Congress aimed at helping states fund their pre-K programs, some say we should be moving toward a more coordinated system of federal/state preschool. Do you think that's a good idea?
A: Yes. Many states have begun to invest in early childhood education and child care programs. In Massachusetts we have Head Start, Early Head Start, state-funded prekindergarten and other community-based early learning programs for children and their families. Better coordination of these investments at all levels will reduce gaps in services, increase cooperation among early childhood educators and providers, and optimize the impact of these investments. That's why state advisory councils were included in the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act passed by Congress in 2007. Councils will help states align their programs and coordinate investments in early learning and child care. The role and responsibilities of these councils will assure the continuing success of early learning programs. We must also see that the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services coordinate in ways that optimize programs for young children and their families.

Q: Taxpayers need to know how effective any new investments in early childhood education are at producing positive results. Are there issues or questions that research might address that would help you and your colleagues develop better policy?
A: The science of brain development and years of data from high-quality early childhood programs such as Head Start, Perry Preschool and Abbott have made Congress and the country much better aware of the importance of investing in this area. In coming years, it will be important to have research that sheds additional light on the short-term benefits associated with high-quality early learning opportunities and gives us a better understanding of the key components of high-quality programs, such as staffing and professional development, curriculum, class size, standards, and resources and their direct benefits. Research will also give us a better analysis of workforce development; beyond general statistics on early childhood educators, broadly it would be helpful for legislators to have a more detailed understanding of the skills, training, opportunities and challenges facing early education providers working with infants and toddlers in quality early learning settings.

Q: The preponderance of responsibility for public education has traditionally rested with the states but the federal role is clearly growing. How big do you think the federal role should be?
A: The aim of the federal government is to become a resource by providing a framework for setting achievement benchmarks that will make our country globally competitive. Because of the unfortunate reality of unequal access and unequal quality in education nationwide, the federal role has to expand in order to level the playing field among the states, improve early childhood education and child care standards, and make certain that students are educated in ways that will enable them to be successful in the 21st century global economy. The challenge is for the federal role to grow in a constructive partnership with the states.

Q: During the previous administration you made a special effort to reach across the aisle and work with your Republican colleagues on issues such as the Head Start Reauthorization. Yet examples of that spirit have seemed the exception rather than the rule in recent years. Do you see us returning to an era of more bipartisanship?
A: Reaching consensus on the issues and achieving the best outcome for the nation will always be our priority. We'll continue to reach across the aisle to achieve our goals on these issues. All of us are encouraged by President Obama's commitment to such bipartisanship, and I'm hopeful that we can keep these key issues out of the partisan arena.