National Summit on America’s Children
“For too long, America’s children have come in last in the competition for government investments. For too long, we have allowed outdated ways of thinking to determine our policies regarding our children. And for too long, there has been not enough political will to make children our number one priority in our work here in Congress.
I pledge to you today that those days are over. We take seriously our responsibility to America’s future – our children. As the brilliant author and activist Pearl S. Buck said: ‘If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.’ Today, we commit to ensuring our children are given the tools they need to succeed.”
- Speaker Pelosi, 5/22/07
The National Summit on America’s Children took place on Tuesday, May 22nd on Capitol Hill. The day-long session convened national experts and academics on recent scientific findings and how they relate to early childhood development - a first step in making certain that federal policies on children reflect the latest scientific developments.
The summit was chaired by Chairman George Miller of California of the House Committee on Education and Labor and co-chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee; Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, co-chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee; and Congressman Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania, a longtime advocate for children. The legislators convened experts in a wide array of areas, including early childhood learning, health care, and child care. Practitioners of innovative public and private initiatives will attend to offer research-based testimony to assist the lawmakers in the development of federal policy. James Heckman, an economics professor and director of the Center for Social Program Evaluation at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, delivered the keynote address.
Read the executive summary (.pdf)>>
Speaker Pelosi's Opening Remarks at the National Summit on America’s Children>>
Legislative Priorities Addressing the Needs of Young Children in the 110th Congress>>
The schedule of events and information on the panelists>>
Materials from the panelists:
J. Lawrence Aber, Ph.D. - Poverty and Child Development:
Scientific Advances and Policy Implications (.doc)>>Glenn Flores, M.D., FAAP - Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Early Childhood Health and Health Care (.pdf)>>
Deborah A. Frank, M.D. - Federal Fuel Assistance Reduces Health Risks for Young Children (.doc)>>
Jody Heymann, Ph.D., M.D - Implications for U.S. Policy of the Work, Family, and Equity Index (.doc) and Importance of the Healthy Families Act to the Health of American Children (.doc)>>
Jane Knitzer, Ed.D - State Early Childhood Policies Improving the Odds (.pdf)>>
Pat Levitt, Ph.D. - Building Blocks for Brain Development (.doc)>>
Chief of Police Alberto Melis - Statement for National Summit on America’s Children (.doc)>>
Charles A. Nelson, Ph.D. - A Neurobiological Perspective on Early Human Deprivation (.pdf)>>
Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. - The Science of Early Childhood Development, Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We Do (.pdf)>>
Col. Elisabeth M. Stafford, M.D. - Resources for Youth Serving Professionals Caring for Children and Adolescents with Deployed Military Parents (.doc)>>
Archived webcast of the Summit (streaming .wmv files):
Panel I: The Science of Early Childhood Development>>
Panel III: Health and Mental Health>>
Panel IV: Income and Family Support>>