Julia Hamilton, Morgantown
Last month, more than 250 advocates from across the country converged on Washington, D.C., for the Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) Advocacy Summit.
As the political voice for kids, SCAN’s mission is to drive change by focusing on two critical issues: Expanding access to high-quality early childhood education in the U.S. and ending preventable deaths of mothers and children around the world.
In a time when even talk of the weather can spur a political debate, people from both sides of the aisle can come together in supporting policies that improve the well-being of children. This week is the Week of the Young Child, as well as SCAN’s Head Start Week of Action, during which advocates here in West Virginia and across the country are building on the progress we made at the Advocacy Summit and raising awareness on the initiatives that help our little learners and their families succeed.
Research confirms that children who participate in Early Head Start and Head Start show significantly better social-emotional, language and cognitive development and are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten.
If we can all agree that the children are our future, shouldn’t we all agree that supporting positive educational opportunities that set them on a path to success should be a primary concern when creating our nation’s budget?
Please join me in urging our lawmakers to invest in Head Start and Early Head Start in the federal budget.