Press Releases

Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressman Kevin Yoder (KS-03), Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), co-chairs of the Congressional Pre-K Caucus, made the following statement celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week:

The Congressional Pre-K Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20); Congresswoman Katherine M. Clark (MA-05); and Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) announced that Congressman Kevin Yoder (KS-03) will replace former Congressman Richard Hanna (NY-22) as the new Co-Chair of the Caucus. This bipartisan group of lawmakers seek to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits of early childhood education and promote policy recommendations and legislation in Congress to expand high-quality pre-k access throughout the United States.

Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), founding co-chair of the Congressional Pre-K Caucus, introduced legislation that will help eligible local education entities across the country access federal prekindergarten (pre-k) funding. The Pre-K for USA Act provides school districts with a direct line to federal funding, eliminating their reliance on states to access federal pre-k dollars.

Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), founding co-chair of the Congressional Pre-K Caucus, introduced legislation to ensure pre-k teachers who spend personal funds on classroom supplies receive the same tax deductions as K-12 teachers. The Pre-K Teacher Parity Act, H.R. 1013, amends the educator expense deduction to include early childhood educators, providing them with a $250 deduction for certain teaching expenses.

U.S. Representative Richard Hanna today visited a universal Pre-K classroom at Little Learners on Campus in Rome to discuss the importance of early childhood education and how Congress can act to educate more students before they reach kindergarten.

Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) joined co-chairs Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Richard Hanna (NY-22) and Katherine Clark (MA-05) in launching the first-ever Congressional Pre-K Caucus this week. Currently consisting of 26 members on both sides of the aisle, the caucus is meant to highlight the importance of access to early education.

Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-05), Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), and Congressman Richard Hanna (NY-22) launched the first-ever Congressional Pre-K Caucus. The bipartisan group seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits of early childhood education and promote policy recommendations to expand high-quality pre-k access in the United States. Currently, the caucus has 26 members, including Committee on Education & The Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03).