1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support the Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 2025, H.R.5524, introduced by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia in September of this year. The bill proposes to provide federal funds for states to establish and expand prekindergarten programs in public and public charter schools for every child, regardless of income or zip code. The bill would afford the benefits of early childhood education to all families, many of whom are currently not able to afford the cost. The intent of the bill is to provide funding for states to add prekindergarten for children at three and four years of age, similar to kindergarten programs for five-year-olds now routinely available in public schools. It eliminates major shortcomings of currently available day care and take advantage of the existing infrastructure, trained teachers and safe facilities required in public schools. The success of Head Start and other prekindergarten programs, combined with scientific evidence on the importance of brain development in early childhood, morally mandates the expansion of early childhood education for all children. This bill is a practical way to create universal, public prekindergarten, providing the benefits of early childhood education to those who have been left out of this essential educational opportunity. Through this legislation, federal funds are provided to states, matching by at least 20 percent of the state’s own funding, and the resulting full-day classes run throughout the school year would be taught by teachers who possess equivalent or similar qualifications to those teaching other grades in public school. These funds would supplement, not supplant, other federal funds for early childhood education, with a unique, money-saving aspect of using existing public-school infrastructure, saving billions of dollars in implementation costs. For all of these reasons, I urge you to support the Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 2025, H.R.5524, and vote in its favor when it comes up for passage. Thank you.