A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
June 23, 2000

Contact:
Tom Lyon
(202) 401-1220

EARLY CHILDHOOD SUMMIT CONVENES IN WASHINGTON
"THE STRONGER THE START, THE BETTER THE FINISH," RILEY SAYS

Citing what he called "a new national consensus about the value and importance of early childhood education," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today challenged educators to work with parents and policymakers to expand learning opportunities for two- to five-year-olds.

"In the last ten years, an extraordinary amount of scientific research has been developed that tells us in very clear terms that all of our children, even in the earliest months of their lives, have an amazing ability to learn," Riley said, "We now know that it is absolutely imperative that we put a new, powerful and sustained focus on the early years — birth to five — before children even enter first grade."

Riley was addressing a national conference, Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers. The meeting in Washington, D.C., is based on a National Research Council (NRC) report of the same title. The work was prepared under grants from several organizations, including the U.S. Education Department's National Institute on Early Childhood and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. In an executive summary of the report, released this week, the authors offer some 19 recommendations and conclude: "Much research still needs to be done. But from the committee's perspective, the case for a substantial investment in a high-quality system of child care and pre-school on the basis of what is already known is persuasive.

"If there is a single critical component to quality," the report continues, "it rests in the relationship between the child and the teacher/caregiver, and in the ability of the adult to be responsive to the child. But the responsiveness extends in many directions: to the child's cognitive, social, emotional and physical characteristics and development."

Riley called for an expansion of the Family Medical and Leave Act to give parents additional time at home during the early months of infancy and said the nation should move to make voluntary pre-kindergarten universally available.

Riley said he endorses a recommendation of the NRC report that every teacher helping children in the early years should have at least a bachelor's degree with specialized knowledge in working with preschool children.

The administration has requested $30 million in the coming fiscal year for early childhood educator professional development. Under the proposal, grants would go to universities or other organizations to provide teachers and public day care staff with training based on early childhood research.

Riley said that pre-school education can be especially critical for children with special needs. "We need teachers who have the capacity to bring out the best in the many, many children who are just learning English. We need teachers who are well trained to work with children with learning disabilities. Far too many children, especially minorities and boys, are tracked into special education because we simply haven't given their first teachers the skills they need to help these children early on. Above all, we need teachers who understand how to develop the whole child -- cognitive and motor skills, good physical and mental health, and positive attitudes toward learning."

Some 500 educators, public officials and others are attending the conference which concludes on Saturday.

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