Issue Position: Empowering Children to Succeed

Issue Position

Southeast Wisconsin home to some of the finest higher education systems in the country, and schools like Marquette, UW-Milwaukee, MATC, Alverno, and others are committed to training the next generation of doctors, engineers, mechanics, teachers, and world leaders. If our region is going to be competitive in the 21st century, we have to make sure that our kids come to school ready to learn, and that they have support throughout their education to get them into competitive careers.

Our public schools are filled with talent, and it is imperative for our community and our economic potential that we take advantage of this resource. I am a product of Upward Bound, and know first hand how vital it is to have a network of support for at-risk teens. Federal TRIO programs like Upward Bound, Student Support Services, and Talent Search help low-income, at-risk, and first generation college students find their potential while they are in middle and high school, and then stay by their side up through college graduation.

Students do not come to school ready to learn when they are hungry. I have been a lifelong supporter of making sure that all children are provided with three healthy meals a day -- a strategy proven to have a lasting positive impact on a child's overall ability to learn. The upcoming WIC and Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act will give Congress the opportunity to expand on our nation's school meals programs to ensure that all children can have healthy meals .

Public education is one of our nation's greatest civil rights advances. I will continue to work to make sure that every child has access to equal opportunity.

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