WASHINGTON — While billed as an attempt at setting a world reading record, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record at the Capitol on Thursday was all about shining the spotlight on the need for pre-K funding
The tone of the day was set from the opening remarks about the children.
“They are raising their voices for high-quality education and services,” said Katey Comerford, executive director of the Washington chapter of Jumpstart, which advocates for learning and literacy among low-income children and has a volunteer network to help schools with reading programs.
Comerford went on to add that supporting early education can help the workforce, economic development, social services and criminal justice.
Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., reads to two students from the Sunshine Early Learning Center at the Capitol on Thursday.
Several members of Congress then joined 80 pre-school students from the Sunshine Early Learning Center to help as they read the book Llama Llama Red Pajama. Jumpstart said it had enlisted 2.1 million children nationwide to read the book today, which would set a record for largest number of people reading the same book on the same day.
Little did the pajama-clad llama know it would be involved in the ongoing fight for early childhood education funding. Behind the mirage of the national reading effort was getting pre-K brought to the forefront.
“Right now it’s really just getting people on the same sheet of music and bringing the awareness,” said Sen.Scott Brown, R-Mass. “Certainly programs like this help a lot.”
On Tuesday, the Pre-K Coalition held a panel discussion to argue that Congress should amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to include pre-K education.
While Thursday’s reading event wasn’t as direct, the members of Congress got the funding message.
“Right now it comes down to the resources,” Brown said. “That’s why I’m challenging the select committee of 12 (the so-called supercommittee charged with cutting the deficit) to do their jobs and make sure we cannot devastate programs like this and others.”
Although nothing has been done yet, Congress is inching its way towards amending the education law.
“There’s some positive signals coming out of Senate,” said Rep. Joe Courtney. D-Conn. “Particularly, the … reform may move forward and hopefully early childhood education is going to be one of the changes.”
Courtney added that not including pre-K education in the No Child Left Behind law was “a huge hole in the program going back to 2001.”
And when the blame was being cast as to why early childhood education is not included, it was the usual reason being thrown around – funding.
“It’s about priorities … deciding what is a priority,” said Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo. “If some feel funding our military is more of a priority than educating our young people, then we will not get the necessary funding.”
Others were a little more creative in getting people to care about funding early childhood education.
“In this morning when we are paying tribute and remembering the creative genius of Steve Jobs, I think it is time for us to recommit ourselves to fostering and bringing out the genius of every child,” said Dr. Jacqueline Jones, a senior adviser in the Department of Education.