George Voinovich: “I rise today to again join my friend and colleague, Senator Feinstein, to reintroduce legislation which will encourage…”

“I rise today to again join my friend and colleague, Senator Feinstein, to reintroduce legislation which will encourage young teachers to go into early childhood education, encourage further learning and credentialing of early learning educators, and lead to better education for our Nation's youngest children. There is no more important time in a child's life than their earliest years. Scientific research tells us that babies are born with 100 billion neurons, or brain cells, that are waiting to make connections, or synapses, with one another. These synapses empower the brain and dictate healthy development and future learning. By the time a baby is three, 1,000 trillion connections have been made, twice as many synapses as most adults have. However, at age 11, children start eliminating those brain connections that have not been used, thus decreasing their potential for learning and development. To maximize their learning potential, we must begin to teach our children the necessary skills before they reach kindergarten.”