Facts In Action

Both the House and the Senate are adjourned until early September. When they reconvene, they will continue to work on the FY 2002 appropriations bill, which establishes funding levels for programs within the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, including: child care, Head Start, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs.

In other national policy news:

• The White House recently convened a Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development, bringing together experts in early literacy and brain development, representatives of national organizations, state and local policymakers, the philanthropic community, school superintendents, teachers, and librarians. First Lady Laura Bush, along with Mrs. Lynne Cheney, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, created the Summit to highlight early learning activities that parents and educators can use to prepare young children for school. At the conclusion of the Summit, Paige and Thompson named a new task force of senior Education and Health and Human Services Department officials to review and make recommendations regarding research-based strategies that could be used in Head Start and other programs to better prepare preschool children in the development of early reading and math skills. The task force will also seek ways for Head Start centers to better prepare students for academic success and for schools to help make that transition effective. For more information about the Summit or ED/HHS task force, go to the U.S. Department of Education web site, http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2001/07/07262001.html.

• In a press conference this summer, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Sandra Feldman called for a national commitment to give parents universal access to high-quality preschool education for three- and four-year olds. The proposed program would use Head Start as a foundation and emphasize stronger academics, parental involvement, and children's health issues. Feldman called for using a cost-sharing mechanism combining federal, state, and local funding for parents who cannot afford to pay and a sliding fee scale for those who can afford to pay. To read more about the AFT proposal, look on-line at www.aft.org/press/2001/071201.html Editor's Note: this url is no longer active.

Facts in Action, August 2001