Something Political

Comment: I got this from the coalition. I thought some people might be interested. I'm not political, and I'm not a politician follower or am I interested in political issues. I'm a grass roots person and believe if you want something done - go do it. But here's the latest for those of you who are political and like messing with it.

From: info@preknow.org [mailto:info@preknow.org]
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 9:55 AM
To: Joan Scott
Subject: School Rep. Ellsworth in early childhood development

Speaker Pelosi has invited early childhood experts to Capitol Hill next week to educate members of Congress on the benefits of investments in young children. Getting members to attend and listen to the research is an important step in making high-quality early learning programs a top priority in Washington. Will you send a letter urging Rep. Ellsworth to attend the National Summit on America's Children? Click here to e-mail a letter to Congress

Dear Joan,

Let's face it: in recent years, young children have not been the priority they should be in Congress. Our nation's early education policies have become out-dated and do not reflect the latest scientific research on children's brain development and the benefits of early learning programs.

Solving this problem starts with educating members of Congress. Fortunately, experts will be on Capitol Hill next Tuesday, May 22nd, to offer House members a crash course in early care and education programs and the science supporting them. Don't let Rep. Brad Ellsworth cut this important class.

Click here to send a letter urging your member of Congress to attend the National Summit on America's Children!

This bipartisan summit - convened by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps. Rosa DeLauro, Chaka Fattah, and George Miller - is an opportunity for members to learn from world-class experts, including early childhood researcher Dr. Jack Shonkoff and Nobel-prize-winning economist Dr. James Heckman. This will be a day for legislators to listen, not make speeches, and the expectation from Speaker Pelosi is that members will use the information gathered to craft new and better policies to help young children reach their full potential.

As constituents, we need to set expectations for our representatives, too. The evidence behind high-quality pre-kindergarten and other early learning programs is strong and convincing, but its impact is muted if policymakers never hear or understand it.

Click here to urge your representative to spend May 22nd at the National Summit on America's Children.
http://www.preknowinfocenter.org/campaign/nat_nsac07/iun5gwi4q3ewn7i?

Next Tuesday is a first step toward a Congress that truly values and prioritizes investments in our children's early development. Help make sure that the summit is packed - please forward this message to 10 friends and ask that they write their members of Congress.

Thank you!

Libby Doggett, Ph.D.
Executive Director

P.S. Attendance at the National Summit on America's Children is limited, but the Speaker's office will provide a live webcast that anyone can watch. You can check the Speaker's website for details about the webcast or click here to request that Pre-K Now e-mail the webcast link to you when it becomes available.

You can watch the webcast on any computer with a high-speed Internet connection. If you would like to host an office or local event, just gather some comfortable chairs, computer speakers, an LCD projector, and a screen. No further set-up is required.

Lastly, a recorded webcast will be available after the summit for people who cannot watch live or want to watch it again.