Dean wants to invest $110 billion into early childhood education

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Democratic front-runner Howard Dean says he would double the nation's investment in early childhood education by spending $110 billion over 10 years.

His "Invest for Success" plan would fully fund and double the enrollment in Head Start, offer preschool to every four-year-old and provide child care for another 1.4 million children, according to an outline of the plan obtained by The Associated Press.

/snip/

Our youngest children are being hurt. The president is underfunding programs like Head Start in order to pay for tax cuts which benefit those at the very top," Dean said in remarks prepared for delivery Friday at a Manchester, N.H., child care center.

/snip/

Dean also accused Bush of trying to dismantle Head Start through block grants. Bush favors giving a few states more control over Head Start management, provided they don't cut services or reduce quality.

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http://www.fox23news.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=7334D1DA-B259-4D23-A634-4D6F5B20AFB1

:-)

That's a typical Democratic attitude - pump more money into a system that's already hopelessly corrupt! I like Dean; my favorite candidates are Kucinich, Dean and Clark. But this makes me sick. Why can't Democrats OR Republicans take on the "Education Mafia"? Why can't they halt high-stakes tests or hold corrupt school officials accountable?

Even if public education wasn't a form of organized crime, should we really be focusing so much on early childhood education when we can't handle the ages we're already dealing with? If the government wants to exploit children from cradle to grave, let it get its act together first.

I don't expect ANY candidate from any party to come up with an intelligent education platform during Campaign 2004; they never do.

Bush is gutting it. Dean's early childhood programs in VT resulted in decreasing child abuse by about half and child sexual abuse by 74%. Which other candidate has had a decade long test market to prove his ideas work?

Typical Dem attitude to want some of that!

schools...

One standard does not work for all regions and communities. Many different ethnic and socioeconomic groups make standardized testing inneffective or counter productive.

Dean is taking his Vermont experience in childhood development (including Physician background) and education in Vermont nationally.

Tell me friend, how much time have you put into say your local Headstart? Ever gone as a parent to grade schools?

I've volunteered at my local headstart and boy I'll never forget it! Those teachers made very little and did so much!! They sacrifice a lot! As a parent I have been invovled in the local schools here and while having met a teacher or two who should rethink their career, I am wholly impressed.

To top it off, our school disctrict, out of some 400+ in Michigan, consistently places in the top 10. Guess what elese. We get the lowest funding alllowed by law per student. I believe we are the only top ten district who canmake that claim.

I have seen first hand the dedication of teachers and administrators while my reich-wing neighbors sit around whining whenever there is a need for the schools that migh *gasp * cost money. Funny, they spout much of the same propaganda you just did.

I always wonder about people who speak (loudly) on things they know nothing about.

Julie

Just underfunded schools and underpaid teachers. But I live in the south, so we already knew that.

Perhaps if Dean were to address misguided principles in public education policy then the floor would open for fair criticism. Straw man arguments like this get us nowhere.

has 12 3 & 4 yr olds in her classroom. It is what she has always wanted to do. She will be thrilled 2 read this.

and a great investment... not like that whole war mess and all the money sent out to ruthless allies ....

sorry, I just wanted to get a jump on ADJHS (AntiDean Junior High School). Classes are almost out.

The man is unstoppable...

There goes the righwing vote~!

This is where our investment needs to go, our youth. It makes for more productive adults in the long run and is fiscally wise. Kids who get more of what they need in the early years are less likely to be a costly burden to the system later.

Compassion and foresight, I like it.

Julie

Gads, why didn't anybody else ever think of that!

Early childhood education, why didn't anybody do this before? Oh wait, Senator Kerry has gotten awards for his work on early childhood education:

Parents for Residential Reform, Mass Families Organizing for Change and the Federation for Children with Special Needs presented The Powerful Friend Recognition Award to Senator Kerry "for his outstanding leadership and national voice on behalf of children with disabilities and their families".

"Zero to Three" Association's "Achievement Award" for work on early childhood development issues

National Health Association's "Legislator of the Year Award" for support of expanded child care and attention for at-risk children. Sponsored 1997 Early Childhood Development Act

to keep sending money. Go Howard Go!!

Well ! The next thing you know, with all this EDUCATION and ATTENTION to young children, the prison populations will start to drop ... and, and ... substance abuses will level out... and, and ... teen pregnancy will continue to drop .... and, and ....

The whole country will be unrecognizable !!!! :silly:

/sarcasm

:hippie:

Imagine, spending money on Americans? That’s government waste. If we aren’t giving it away to dictators or renting foreign mercenaries or buying useless weapon systems then it’s waste plain and simple. Money for Americans, how obscene.

more weapons and land mines to kill children not to educate them!

now where is he going to get 110B?

its time you dean-o-crats stopped dipping in the wishing well.

yes its a dandy idea to fund education... and yes it may have worked for vermont.

but vermont doesnt have a military does it?
where will he get the money is he plans on keeping america armed to the level its at today? hes too much of a political putz to cut defense.

cut social programs?
tax more?
push the burden onto states to figure out?

if you can answer those issues id be more open to the idea.

PM me please.

$87B to Iraq or $110B to children. Take your pick. Dean has said this. This whole Iraq fiasco has cost us how much? I'm not sure, but isn't it about $70B before and $87B now =~ $157B? This was Bush's idea of a good way to spend money.

If Dean gets in, there will have to be a big change in fiscal priorities, but he is a fiscal conservative, so he will have to cut somewhere. Corporate subsidies, PNAC war, tax breaks for the rich, etc., I would hope.