Neighbor News
Early Childhood Education Takes Center Stage
Candidates Running for Jerry Hill's State Senate Seat Convene in Menlo Park on February 9th
With several presidential candidates talking about Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Governor Newsom’s pledged $2.4B investment plus the recent announcement of a new Department of Early Childhood Development - California’s youngest kids are finally getting some of the attention they deserve. And, this is a good thing, whether you have young children or not! Investments in high-quality early childhood education yield ROI’s of 13%, according to many studies, including research by Nobel Laureate, James Heckman.
On February 9th, during a moderated conversation with the seven candidates running for Jerry Hill’s seat in the State Senate, District 13 voters will hear the candidates’ plans for supporting early learning issues in Sacramento. Speaking to the need for our state to prioritize kids, Ted Lempert recently wrote in CalMatters, "The state is in the bottom half of the country when it comes to equitable access to quality early learning programs, despite indisputable research that critical brain development occurs before the age of five." Mr. Lempert is the President of Children Now, and will facilitate the question and answer session following opening remarks by Dr. Deborah Stipek of the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. The forum, sponsored by local community groups including Community Equity Collaborative and Congregation Beth-Am, is the only opportunity that voters will have to hear from all of the candidates on this important topic ahead of the March 3rd election.
Event Details
Date: Sunday, February 9th
Time: 3-5 PM
Place: Performing Arts Center at Hillview Middle School, 1100 Elder Avenue, Menlo Park
Candidates: Josh Becker, Michael Brownrigg, Alexander Glew, Sally Lieber, Shelly Masur, Annie Oliva, and John H. Webster.
Event Co-Sponsors: Community Equity Collaborative, Congregation Beth-Am, League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and LWV of South San Mateo County, Good2Know Network, Foothill College, Peninsula Family Service, Footsteps Child Care, First Five (San Mateo County), Santa Clara County Office of Education and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
RSVP: http://bit.ly/ECE_Candidates
The prosperity of this community and cornerstone of our human infrastructure is directly tied to increasing access to and the quality of early care and education in District 13. Join us on February 9th as early learning takes center stage. Together, we will hear the candidates’ positions and plans for elevating these important issues to increase equity in education, especially for young children and educators.