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| National
Policy News: Where do the Presidential Candidates Stand on Issues of Early Care in Education?
John Kerry, Democrat, MA In the Senate, he supported increases in funding for Head Start and other child care programs, including the bi-partisan legislation, Early Learning Opportunity Act (ELOA), passed in 2000. If elected, Kerry plans to increase the child care tax credit to cover $5,000 in expenses for middle-income families and stay-at-home parents. He also proposes to expand health care coverage for families and provide full coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid. On ECE, Kerry says: "Our education plan for a stronger America sets high standards and demands accountability from parents, teachers, and schools … And as President, I am determined that we stop being a nation content to spend $50,000 a year to keep a young person in prison for the rest of their life – when we could invest $10,000 to give them Head Start, Early Start, Smart Start, the best possible start in life." (Boston, MA, 07/29/04) For more information on Kerry visit www.johnkerry.com George W. Bush, Republican, TXIn 2001, he proposed and signed into law the Reading First and Early Reading First Initiatives which seeks to help every child become literate by the time they enter third grade. A year later, he issued his Welfare Reform Agenda, which proposed to maintain level funding for childcare ($4.8 billion per year) through the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and he proposed the Healthy Community Innovation Fund Initiative that would promote comprehensive health care for women and children. On ECE, the First Lady has stated (At time of print, the President has not yet issued a statement on the issue): "President Bush and I want all children in early childhood programs, including Head Start, to benefit from ground-breaking research on early learning. By putting this research into practice in pre-school programs, we can help assure that children develop strong skills in early language, literacy, and math. (Colorado, 05/01/03) For more information on Bush visit www.georgewbush.com Editor's Note: this url is no longer active. Facts in Action, October 2004 |
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