Can you think of a win-win for both young and older kids?
We can. It’s the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which would make a landmark investment in our nation’s future by preparing young children for success in school and young adults for the workforce.
Washington State’s delegation in the House of Representatives will play a key role in moving this legislation forward. They will vote on this legislation this week. That’s why we need you to take action today!
This legislation is critical to our state and nation’s future. It would:
• Ensure young children enter kindergarten ready to succeed by creating an Early Learning Challenge Fund to provide states with $8 billion in competitive grants over 8 years. Economists, business leaders and scientific researchers agree that quality early childhood services stand among the smartest public investments available. This investment would improve outcomes for all children and especially at-risk children—resulting in higher graduation rates, higher rates of college attendance, and higher earnings at work.
• Prepare more students for the workforce by improving access and affordability to higher education through expansion of loan and grant programs, strengthening our nation’s community college system, and keeping interest rates low for students receiving need-based federal loans.
This is potentially a historical step forward in the education of America’s children—including thousands in Washington State.
Check out our Executive Director Chris Korsmo in the Seattle Times yesterday on this legislation. “We know that what happens in the first five years of a child’s life has a lot to do with how the rest turns out.”
