Hearing of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee of the House Education and the Workforce Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Rokita, Hearing on Opportunities for State Leadership of Early Childhood Programs

Hearing

Good morning, and welcome to today's subcommittee hearing. I'd like to thank our
panel of witnesses and my colleagues for joining today's important discussion on
the effectiveness of our early childhood education programs.
A child's early development lays critical groundwork for he or she to succeed in the
future.
While a parent is the ultimate decider of what is best for their own child's early
development, the federal government has had a role in childcare for over 50 years.
With enactment of the Head Start Act in 1965, a by-product of President Lyndon
Johnson's War on Poverty, the federal government established its role helping
promote healthy development of vulnerable children in their earliest--and
arguably--most important years.
While Head Start provided greater access to early childhood education for
vulnerable families, like many Johnson-era programs, the federal government's
involvement in this space has mushroomed into an overly-burdensome, costly, and
confusing network of programs.
Today, GAO will testify on their new report which finds the federal government
provides support for early childhood services through 44 separate programs, nine of
which have an explicit purpose to do so at an annual cost of more than $15 billion.
The two largest are the Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block
Grant programs. We will hear that the agencies have done a better job at improving
their communications in operating these programs, but that overlap, duplication,
and fragmentation among programs remain.
(More)Finding an early childcare or education program is an important decision for many
working parents and families. The federal government should not be making the job
of navigating the system more difficult through a confusing maze of federal
programs.
Luckily for parents, states have stepped up to the plate. Recently, we have seen
states take the lead in operating early childhood programs, as well as increase
funding for this area. For example, my home state of Indiana has launched a
promising new pilot program aimed at helping low-income Hoosier children access a
free, high-quality pre-k education.
In 2016 alone, states increased funding by a combined $480 million in early
childhood education programs. This is an increase of 6.8 percent from the previous
year.
We will hear today examples of how states are finding a better way for children,
and are helping small businesses innovate to improve their services.
States have recognized that they are better positioned to help parents when it
comes to choosing the services that are best for their child.
For those of us who want to see the federal government take a diminished role in
deciding what is best for our children in terms of education, this is excellent news.
States understand their local communities best, and understand what works and
does not work for the children and parents within the state.
Today, we will hear about the positive impacts of state centered early childhood
programs.
Additionally, we will hear testimony on just how large and cumbersome federal
involvement has become. I hope this conversation will help us consider how we
might address the redundancies and inefficiencies throughout these programs.
Early childhood development is a critical issue because we are talking about future
students, future citizens, and future leaders in the workforce. At the same time, we
have a responsibility to re-evaluate the current climate and make sure that
taxpayer investments are being used effectively. I look forward to a discussion
about the ways we can better meet the needs of American children, families, and
taxpayers alike.

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