Early learning: Put children first, not tax breaks

My parents recently adopted a one-month-old baby. We are fortunate enough to provide her with child care that has helped her grow healthy after being born eight weeks premature.

However, many families do not have the same opportunities.

High-quality child care and early-learning programs help give kids a strong start in life. They prepare kids for kindergarten and ultimately lead to a brighter future, especially for kids living in poverty.

However, in many parts of the country, child care costs have increased substantially. In many states, including Washington, it’s more expensive to pay for child care than for in-state college tuition, putting it out of reach for too many families.

It’s a new year, but Congress hasn’t finished its work on the fiscal 2018 budget. It just approved tax changes that will allow the debt to increase by $1.5 trillion, but there are still families who can’t afford a quality early education.

Congress must increase investments in kids, not write tax breaks on IOUs.

Please join me in urging Rep. Derek Kilmer and the rest of Washington's congressional delegation to protect funding for Head Start and other early-learning programs that help give all U.S. kids an equal opportunity to thrive.

This story was originally published January 12, 2018 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Early learning: Put children first, not tax breaks."