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Early Childhood Education

Laura Bush visits with parents Ronnie and Chakeiva Collins, a couple from Plant City, Fla. and their 2-day-old son at Tampa General Hospital on Tuesday, October 1, 2002. Mrs. Bush presented the new parents a copy of the Healthy Start, Grow Smart magazine series that provides parents with critical information about the early development, health, nutrition and safety needs of babies and toddlers. White House photo by Susan Sterner.
Laura Bush visits with parents Ronnie and Chakeiva Collins, a couple from Plant City, Fla. and their 2-day-old son at Tampa General Hospital on Tuesday, October 1, 2002. Mrs. Bush presented the new parents a copy of the Healthy Start, Grow Smart magazine series that provides parents with critical information about the early development, health, nutrition and safety needs of babies and toddlers. White House photo by Susan Sterner.

President Bush's Education Reform Initiatives

In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush stressed the need to prepare children to read and succeed in school with improved Head Start and early childhood development programs. These themes built upon Mrs. Bush's Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development, held July 26-27, 2001.

The early childhood initiative announced by President Bush seeks to improve the state of early childhood education, where too many children come to school unprepared to learn. Because a significant number of young children receive care from people other than their parents (62% of children age 5 or younger), Federal and state governments provide more than $18 billion annually (more than $14 billion in Federal support alone) to help families – particularly low-income families – provide for pre-K care.

Despite these significant resources, not all children are receiving care that is high-quality care because: 1) many states do not fully align what children are doing before they enter school with what is expected of them once they are in school; 2) early childhood programs are seldom evaluated based on how well they prepare students to succeed in school; and 3) there is not enough information for early childhood teachers, parents, and other child care providers on the activities that prepare children to be successful in school.

>>More about the Early Childhood Education Initiative

Speeches and News Releases
April 24, 2007
Fact Sheet: No Child Left Behind: Keeping America Competitive in the 21st Century
 
September 26, 2004
Education: The Promise of America
 
January 8, 2004
Fact Sheet: President Bush Celebrates 2nd Anniversary of No Child Left Behind Act
 
More News »
Documents
  Head Start Policy Book February, 2003
     PDF version PDF Document
 
  Early Childhood Development Guide "Good Start, Grow Smart"
     PDF version PDF Document
 
  A Quality Teacher in Every Classroom: Improving Teacher Quality and Enhancing the Profession
     PDF version PDF Document
 
Related Links
  Mrs. Bush's Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development
  Healthy Start, Grow Smart Initiative
  U.S. Department of Education
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  National Endowment for the Humanities