J. B. Pritzker Quotes

Head Start is designed to ensure that all children - regardless of their family's income, race, or ethnic background - are able to enter kindergarten ready to learn.

Every child should be given a strong start to their education.

Our children are our greatest resource and Head Start grants help them reach their full potential.

The goal of the Head Start program is to give at-risk children all across our Nation a fair chance at succeeding in the educational system.

Research has shown time and time again that infants who receive the high-quality child care and early education programs do better in school, have more developed social skills, and display fewer behavior problems.

Early childhood education is an urgent educational, economic and moral imperative. Without it, we face a long-term national economic security crisis.

If we are serious about providing upward mobility and building a skilled workforce, pre-school is the place to begin.

It is imperative to change the way we look at education. We should invest in the foundation of school readiness from birth to age 5.

Head Start is especially important to Latino children. Latino children make up more than one-third, 34 percent, of all those eligible for the program.

I was a TV producer at a noncommercial station, and we were producing some good documentaries - on Head Start, on poverty. But I was struck by the children, and the damage that poverty was doing to them. I didn't think filming them was helping much, so I wondered how we could use TV for them, to teach them.

I focus on supporting high quality early childhood health care and education. By betting my resources on very young children, I know I'm making an investment that pays guaranteed dividends with a high rate of return.

Governor Romney has said nothing about preschool. I think that giving the poorest kids in America wonderful preschool, and three years of it, starting when they are two-and-a-half, is absolutely crucial.

If we expect our children to thrive at our colleges and universities, and succeed in our economy once they graduate - first we must make quality, affordable early childhood education accessible to all.

The government gets it right on Head Start. We are providing opportunities for children in underserved areas where parents may not be able to afford preschool so they can begin their schooling with a running or Head Start.

Children without access to quality early education programs start kindergarten with an 18-month disadvantage, and that gap continues to widen. By the time they are in fourth grade, many cannot do math or read at grade level.

Early childhood education packs a real wallop in terms of the return on the investment.

Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society.

Access to quality early care and education is an important part of our efforts to make San Francisco more equitable, and ensure that every child who grows up here can thrive.

I've been building classrooms for children. Computer labs for kids. It's such a huge problem and so many children just aren't given a chance in life.

In 2009, I pushed for the creation and funding of early childhood block grants to ensure that more kids enter kindergarten ready to learn. It's really not rocket science: Put kids on the right path at an early age - and keep them there.

There is a perception that anganwadis are merely places where food is provided to children.

Let me ask you: Should only children of the wealthy have access to quality early education? Should only children of the wealthy have access to a college degree? The answer - the only answer - is: no.

What is lacking in India are decent social services. The health service is a disaster. Education is a disaster.

We're committed to making sure parents have affordable, quality early learning for their kids - there's no question about it.

I say this as a young dad seeing children going into primary school: I don't think we should underestimate the formative effect on a child of those first years in primary school.