Frank Pallone: “As the gentleman knows, no other issue before this country, in my opinion, is as important as the education of our…”

“As the gentleman knows, no other issue before this country, in my opinion, is as important as the education of our children. Like a number of my colleagues, a couple of weeks ago I attended the conference at the White House on early childhood development. As the gentleman knows, this conference focused on new scientific research that confirms what many parents have suspected for a long time, that those very first few years of a child's life are critical to that child's social and intellectual and emotional development. I think the President and the First Lady deserve enormous credit for taking a lead on this issue, and raising awareness on this issue. I have taken to this well many times to speak of my support for improving the scope and quality of American education. But we must never forget, as I said, that a child starts learning long before they enter the first classroom. If one believes, as I do, that education is truly the key to this Nation's economic future, we must begin early.”