pd08ap02 The President's Radio Address...

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education gap in our society. Today I pledge my administration's support 
in working with parents and families, Head Start and childcare centers, 
and our States to achieve this goal. Every child who goes to school, 
every single child, must be ready to learn.
    As many of you know, as I mentioned, parents play a huge role, play 
the most important role. A parent is a child's first and most 
influential teacher--for many children, their only teacher until 
kindergarten. For most parents, helping their child learn is a joy; it's 
not a chore. Yet, learning activities really are not common enough. And 
we must encourage parents in this essential responsibility of preparing 
their children to learn. We must help them.
    Many parents wish their children came with an instruction manual. 
All new parents need good information about child development; that's 
for sure. So later this month, Laura will be launching a series of 
booklets based on the best scientific research that give suggestions on 
child development at crucial early stages of a child's life.
    I've asked the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human 
Services and Agriculture to make these publications widely available to 
families with newborns all across the country. These publications will 
be offered through a variety of programs that serve our Nation's 
families: WIC clinics, State departments of education, State health and 
human service agencies.
    The White House and these agencies will also have these booklets 
ready, available online. I want to thank Laura and those who have helped 
her design these books for working hard to make this an incredibly 
important issue in America. And all these efforts will promote early 
childhood learning where it matters most--right there in the home.
    After parents, Head Start centers have some of the greatest 
potential to encourage

[[Page 554]]

early childhood learning. Many of them are already doing a terrific job. 
We had a chance to hear from one such center today.
    Laura and I were deeply impressed by the Margaret Cone Center in 
Dallas, Texas, which uses a curriculum rich in pre-reading and 
vocabulary development activities. Before this curriculum was introduced 
in 1994, graduating classes who left the Cone Center and entered the 
local public schools scored as low as the 21st percentile on the Iowa 
Test of Basic Skills. After 1994, after this scientific-based curriculum 
had been introduced, Cone classes have scored as high as the 94th 
percentile in vocabulary and reading. It matters what the curriculum is 
in these centers. Head Start centers are a Federal responsibility, and 
we're determined to encourage the kind of quality that we see in centers 
such as the Cone Center.
    We must focus Head Start on the pre-reading and language development 
of children, so the Department of Health and Human Services will 
implement an accountability system for every Head Start center in 
America. In addition to providing essential health and social services, 
centers must enhance activities for children to acquire language and 
number skills. These activities can and should be done in ways that are 
appropriate for younger children, in ways that work.
    Every Head Start center in America must teach these skills and must 
demonstrate that its teaching is effective. We want to make sure that we 
understand--that the Head Start programs understand--we know what works. 
We want to measure the input. We want to say that in return for Federal 
taxpayers' help, we expect you to be providing the foundation for 
reading and math.
    And to help Head Start centers meet these standards, we'll begin a 
major new effort to prepare Head Start teachers. In order for this to 
work, we must give our Head Start teachers the tools necessary to meet 
our goal. Our goal is to reach the nearly 50,000 Head Start teachers 
over the next 12 months by giving them the tools necessary to teach 
basic skills to our children.
    This summer the Department of Health and Human Services will give 
intensive, research-based training to 2,500 early literacy specialists, 
who will then instruct Head Start teachers around the country. And 
starting today, we'll distribute a guidebook for early childhood 
educators and caregivers. It's called ``Teaching Our Youngest.'' It 
contains proven teaching activities to help children develop their 
language abilities, increase their knowledge, and discover a love for 
books and reading and learning.
    We're also asking States to do their part. The Federal Government 
provides States with considerable funds for childcare. In fact, over the 
past decade, Federal funding for early childhood programs has nearly 
tripled. Yet, many children are still showing up in kindergarten not 
ready to learn. That's going to change.
    We propose that States receiving these Federal funds must submit a 
plan to promote early childhood education. States must take steps to 
provide pre-kindergarten programs with guidelines on pre-reading and 
literacy skills, and they must have a plan to expand the training of 
childcare and preschool teachers in their State.
    Just as States care about health and safety of children's bodies, 
they must also care about the health and progress of the children's 
minds. I know your Governor cares a lot about that here in Pennsylvania.
    Anyone who is serious about educational reform must be serious about 
early childhood education. If we want all our children reading by the 
third grade--and that's what we want--then all our children must be 
ready to learn on their first day of school. This will require Americans 
to work together--families, teachers, caregivers, civic groups, along 
with government on every level.
    I look forward to working with leaders in Congress on this important 
issue, especially Senators Kennedy and Gregg, and Congressmen Boehner 
and Miller. Here's what I think: Where America's children are concerned, 
there is no Republicans or Democrats, only moms and dads, grandpas and 
grandmas, all eager to help our youngest citizens succeed.
    As we try harder to serve our children better, we ought to keep in 
mind the wise words of Theodore Geisel--he, better-known as Dr. Seuss, 
the guy who wrote ``Hop On Pop.'' [Laughter] ``Children want the same 
things

[[Page 555]]

we want, to laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted.'' 
We want our children, even the youngest children in America, to be 
challenged and entertained and delighted by learning. This is a 
responsibility of every parent, and it's a great calling for our great 
country.
    Thank you for coming, and may God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 2:43 p.m. in the school's gymnasium. In his 
remarks, he referred to Edward S.J. Tomezsko, campus executive officer, 
Pennsylvania State University, Delaware County; and Mike Fisher, State 
attorney general of Pennsylvania. The Office of the Press Secretary also 
released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 555-559]
 
Pages 541-569
 
Week Ending Friday, April 5, 2002
 
Remarks at a Fundraiser for Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Fisher in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

April 2, 2002

    Thank you very much. Well, ``Governor,'' thank you for those kind 
words. I want to thank you all for coming, and thanks for that warm 
welcome. It's good to see so many friends. I want to thank you all for 
supporting the next Governor from Pennsylvania. I've been here quite a 
bit since I've been President, but I learned a new fact recently that 
made me a little nervous. I didn't realize this, but Pennsylvania has 
more pretzel bakeries--[laughter]--than any State in the Union. 
[Laughter] So I decided to take a risk. [Laughter]
    I love coming to Philadelphia. I love the history of Philadelphia. I 
love the fact that Philadelphia is the cradle of freedom; that's what I 
love.
    Mike mentioned Tom Ridge. You know, my biggest job is to defend 
freedom, is to protect our homeland. And you know better than anybody, I 
picked a really good man to lead the homeland defense of the United 
States. I want to thank you for letting Tom cut his eyeteeth here. 
[Laughter] He did a great job as Governor. He's doing a really good job 
in Washington.
    And I want to thank Mark Schweiker as well. He's doing a fantastic 
job as Governor. Thank you, Mark. Pennsylvania has had two fine 
Governors. It's time to make three Governors in a row. I'm proud to be 
here on stage with Mike and the future Lieutenant Governor. There's no 
doubt in my mind they will both do a fine job, an excellent job, for the 
people of Pennsylvania. I'm also honored to be here with your senior 
Senator, Arlen Specter. Thank you very much, Arlen, for coming. I had 
the privilege of traveling from the University of Pennsylvania, in 
Delaware County, to the hotel with Jane Earll. She's solid on the 
issues. She knows what she's talking about.
    I'm also honored to be here with David Girard-diCarlo and Manny 
Stamatakis. These guys were my friends before I was somebody--
[laughter]--and I'm proud to call them friend. I want to thank them for 
their hard work, and I want to thank you all for contributing your hard-
earned dollars to this good candidate. I also want to thank the leaders 
of the political party here, the chairman and the national committeeman 
and national committeewoman, all of whom are willing to provide the 
grassroots support necessary for candidates like me and Mike to succeed.
    You know, fundraising is an integral part of politics but so is 
getting out the vote--so is those who are willing to spend a lot of time 
putting out the yard signs, dialing the phones, and doing all the hard 
work necessary to make candidates viable. On behalf of a grateful 
President, and a soon-to-be-grateful Governor, thank you for the 
grassroots politics here in Pennsylvania.
    I also want to thank Carol Fisher, Mike's wife, for her willingness 
to make a huge sacrifice on behalf of a good man running for Governor. I 
know something about good wives. I'm very fortunate to have a good wife, 
myself. Laura is doing a great job as our First Lady. She is a steady 
hand. She was a public school librarian when I married her and really 
wasn't all that keen on politics. And if the truth be known, she wasn't 
all that thrilled about knowing politicians, either. [Laughter] But she 
is where she is, thank goodness. Thank goodness for my family, and thank 
goodness for the country. The American people have gotten to see why I 
asked Laura to marry me. There's still a lot of doubts in people's minds 
as to why she said yes. [Laughter] But I'm proud of her, and I want

[[Page 556]]

you to know she's doing great, and so is my family.
    I think there's a lot of reasons for the people of Pennsylvania to 
support Mike. First, he's done a good job as the attorney general. He's 
been given a huge responsibility, and he performed. He's one of these 
fellows that does in office what he said he would do, and that's 
refreshing.
    Mike has led the fight against drugs, and he's made a difference. As 
I understand it, there's been over 6,000 arrests made to make sure 
Pennsylvania streets are safe from those who would sell drugs. But he 
also knows what I knew, that we've also got to work on demand. We've got 
to make sure our youngsters understand that drugs will destroy their 
lives and ruin their hopes. Mike can take this to the Governor's office 
and make a huge difference for the citizens of Pennsylvania.
    He also has been making sure Pennsylvania stays safe. He's a tough 
crimefighter. He makes it clear that there are consequences for bad 
behavior in the State of Pennsylvania. And that will stand him in good 
stead when he becomes the Governor as well.
    We had a chance to talk about education today in the car. I was 
promoting an early childhood reading initiative here in the Philadelphia 
area. Mike knows what I know, that we must set high standards for every 
child, that we must expect the best from every single child, and that we 
must hold people accountable for results. It's fine for States and the 
Federal Government to spend money, but for that money we expect our 
children to learn how to read and write and add and subtract. And if the 
status quo is unacceptable, if children are not learning to read and 
write and add and subtract, it's important to have somebody in the 
Governor's office who is willing to say, ``That is not good enough. The 
fact that children can't read and write and add and subtract is not 
satisfactory to me, because every child counts in America, and no child 
should be left behind.''
    It is important to have a Governor who sets high standards and 
expects the best and a Governor who is willing to challenge a system 
that simply shuffles children through. During the campaign, I called 
that the soft bigotry of low expectations. Mike understands that we must 
hold people accountable, that we must insist upon basic education. We 
must challenge failure wherever we find it, in order for the American 
Dream to reach every neighborhood in every community in every State of 
our Nation. And I want to thank Mike for that.
    I had the honor of working on and signing a substantial piece of 
education legislation, a significant reform. I was able to work with 
Senator Kennedy and Senator Gregg and Congressmen Boehner and Miller to 
get this done. The Federal Government spends a lot of money on 
education, and finally we're beginning to say, ``What are the results? 
Can our children actually do what we expect them to do?''
    In that bill not only do we insist upon strong accountability to 
show us whether or not we're achieving standards, but we pass a lot of 
power back to the States, where power belongs. I fully recognize one 
size does not fit all when it comes to public education all across 
America. It's important for Governors to be empowered to meet high 
standards. And therefore, it's important to have good Governors, who 
understand high standards and accountability, in the Governors' offices 
all across America. Mike Fisher will be such a Governor.
    And as Mike said, he understands the importance of empowering the 
private sector in order to create jobs. Governments don't create wealth; 
governments must create an environment in which the entrepreneurial 
spirit flourishes.
     Mike believes in lower taxes, and so do I. You might remember, I 
came to Pennsylvania a lot, saying, ``If you give me a chance to be your 
President, I will work with Congress to cut the taxes on the people who 
work in America.'' And that's exactly what we did. And not only did we 
do that, we did it at the right time in Washington, DC.
    You see, when the economy slows down, like it had, it's important to 
let people have more of their own money, so they can spend it. When 
people have more of their own money, it creates demand. And when people 
demand more goods and services, somebody will produce the goods and 
services. And when somebody produces the goods and services, somebody 
can find work. The best

[[Page 557]]

way to make sure America goes back to work is to trust the American 
people with their own money.
    Now, there are some in Washington who don't understand that, but 
they read a different textbook than Mike and I do. There are some who 
say, the more money the Federal Government has, the better off America 
will be. That's not the way I think. That's not the way Mike thinks. And 
history will prove us right. By cutting taxes, we saved the country from 
a significant recession.
    I remember campaigning in Chicago one time, and the guy said, 
``Would you ever deficit spend?'' I said, ``Well, only if we were at war 
or the country was in recession or there was a national emergency.'' 
[Laughter] I didn't realize we were going to get the trifecta. 
[Laughter] We're dealing with the issue of our economy, and I want you 
to know that we're dealing with the issue of war and our national 
emergency as well.
    I mentioned Tom. Our job is to make sure that if anybody hits us 
again, the Nation can respond. We've got a great first-responders 
initiative. I had the honor of meeting the fire chief of Philadelphia 
and leaders of the Philadelphia police force, those who lead the brave 
men and women who are on the frontline of dealing not only with crime 
but with any emergency that may come.
    We've got a significant amount of money in our budget to protect the 
American people. Not only are we going to bolster our first-responders, 
to provide them more training and more equipment in order to respond; 
we're going to make sure our border security is better. We want to know 
who's coming into the United States and why they're coming in and if 
they're leaving when they're supposed to be leaving. We've got a 
bioterrorism initiative to put in place a response mechanism if the 
enemy were to use a biological weapon or a chemical weapon on America. 
In other words, we're buttoning up the homeland security of the country.
    You also need to know that any time we get any kind of hint that 
somebody may try to harm Americans, we will respond. We've got much 
better dialog between our Federal and State and local law enforcement 
officials. Our intelligence gathering is better than it's ever been. Our 
information sharing is very sound.
    I wake up every morning, and I get into the great, beautiful Oval 
Office, and I read a threat assessment. It reminds me that we're still 
threatened. But I'm here to tell you, our country is responding. We're 
diligent. We're alert. We know our mission, and we know our priority. 
But the best way to defend the homeland, the best way to make sure our 
little ones can grow up in a peaceful world, is to find the enemy 
wherever they try to hide and bring them to justice.

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