III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 418 

Designating the week beginning April 2, 2006, as ‘‘Week of the Young 

Child’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 31, 2006 

Mr. SALAZAR (for himself, Mr. DEWINE, Mr. DODD, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. 

KERRY, Mr. BURR, Mr. LEVIN, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. CONRAD, and Mrs. 

MURRAY) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the week beginning April 2, 2006, as ‘‘Week 

of the Young Child’’. 

Whereas there are 20,000,000 children under the age of 5 in 

the United States; 

Whereas numerous studies, including the Abecedarian Study, 

the Study of the Chicago Child-Parent Center, and the 

High/Scope Perry Preschool Study, indicate that low-income children who have enrolled in quality, comprehensive early childhood education programs— 

(1) improve their cognitive, language, physical, social, and emotional development; and 

(2) are less likely to— 

(A) be placed in special education; 


rfake on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
2 

•SRES 418 ATS

(B) drop out of school; or 

(C) engage in juvenile delinquency; 

Whereas the enrollment rates of children under the age of 5 

in early childhood education programs have steadily increased since 1965 with— 

(1) the creation of the Head Start program carried 

out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.); 

(2) the establishment of the Early Head Start program carried out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 

9831 et seq.); and 

(3) the enactment of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.); 

Whereas many children eligible for, and in need of, quality 

early childhood education services are not served due to 

inadequate funding; 

Whereas over 4,000,000 children under the age of 5 live in 

poverty; 

Whereas only about 1⁄2 of all preschoolers who are eligible 

to participate in Head Start programs have the opportunity to do so, and even fewer eligible babies and toddlers receive the opportunity to participate in Early Head 

Start; 

Whereas only about 1 out of every 7 eligible children receives 

an amount of child care assistance sufficient to— 

(1) enable the parents of the child to continue working; and 

(2) provide the child with safe and nurturing early 

childhood care and education; 

Whereas, although State and local governments have responded to the numerous benefits of early childhood eduVerDate Aug 31 2005 05:56 Apr 01, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR418.ATS SR418

rfake on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
3 

•SRES 418 ATS

cation by making significant investments in programs 

and classrooms, there remains— 

(1) a large unmet need for those services; and 

(2) a need to improve the quality of those programs; 

and 

Whereas, according to numerous studies on the impact of investments in high-quality early childhood education, the 

programs yield to the public a return of 4 dollars to 13 

dollars for each dollar invested: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the week beginning April 2, 

3 2006, as ‘‘Week of the Young Child’’; 

4 (2) encourages the citizens of the United States 

5 to celebrate— 

6 (A) young children; and 

7 (B) the citizens who provide care and early 

8 childhood education to the young children of the 

9 United States; and 

10 (3) urges the citizens of the United States to 

11 recognize the importance of— 

12 (A) quality, comprehensive early childhood 

13 education programs; and 

14 (B) the value of those services for pre15 paring children to— 

16 (i) appreciate future educational expe17 riences; and 


rfake on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
4 

•SRES 418 ATS

1 (ii) enjoy lifelong success. 

Æ 


rfake on PROD1PC77 with BILLS