Susan Davis: “I certainly want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Lee, for this opportunity and for, really, the privilege of…”

“I certainly want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Lee, for this opportunity and for, really, the privilege of working with her for so many years. Today, the 50th anniversary of the war on poverty, reminds us all that more work must be done. And if I could relate on a personal level, I don't believe that I would have had an opportunity to continue my education without having been about to further that at the time of the war on poverty. As someone who wanted to go into social work, it certainly was an opportunity for me to do that and to make a difference in that area. One of the most important steps that we can take is to make pre-K available to all American children. Today, only 69 percent of American 4-year-olds are enrolled in early childhood education programs--only 69 percent. You might be surprised to learn that that troubling statistic places us near the bottom--near the bottom--in terms of access among our advanced country OECD peers, in the bottom. In our global economy, that means many American children start behind least when they can afford to. They just cannot make it beyond that. The stakes to address this issue today have never been higher. Over the last decade, we have learned that early childhood education makes a big difference. We have learned that the achievement gap begins before our kids even reach kindergarten, and we have learned that quality pre- K leads to better life outcomes in school, in careers, and in personal health.…”