" I mean that few people fully appreciate the immensity of trying to really get a child who lives in poverty ready for school. The idea that you can do it in a year of Head Start or a year or two of preschool is just not realistic. Poverty is worse today than it was back in 1965, when I started out. These kids are growing up in the midst of neighborhoods where poverty is intense and you have to have an intensive effort to conquer that, to overcome it and get children ready for school. That's why you have to have home visits and support for families, starting at birth. This isn't pie in the sky. It's realistic. And the goal of all this is clear. It's Goal One of the Educate America Act, that every child will arrive in school ready to learn."-Dr. Edward Zigler
" Kids do better, frankly [when the economy is strong]. Jobs make great years for kids. The best children's program I know of is the Earned Income Tax Credit. Get kids out of poverty. Poverty is devastating.
I'm really not a partisan political person. I remember when I was in Washington they kept trying to get me to say whether I was a Republican or a Democrat. I just said, my politics are children. That's all I know anything about."-Dr. Edward Zigler
Dr. Zigler is a true hero in the field of Early Childhood. What an amazing man and inspiration to educators all over the world! Love him!! His comments about poverty cut me to the bone. Poverty is the sharp edge of a sword cutting society in two. We need a solution and we need it for the children.....
From the video this week I learned that he also served on the committee that planned the head Start program. he is a hero to the field! I wanted to pick him as a person to learn more about in the discussion this week but I am kinda glad I did not. By me reading this blog post of yours, it gave clear information on what he did for the childhood field. The quote you chose really sums him up.
ReplyDeleteI love the last part of the quote that says, "...politics are my children." My parents and brother had steadfast positions in politics and I remember growing up thinking that was just the way I would eventually vote. As I made my way through college and really started looking at the platforms of politicians I began basing my votes based on the what I felt was best for my profession and my passion. My Mom asked me one day why I was choosing not to vote the way the rest of the family did. My Mom did not care that I was voting differently, she just wanted to know that I was doing this with knowledge and reason. When I explained to her why she hugged me and said how proud she was of me. What a defining moment in my life. My views of politics are largely centered around children as well.
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