NORWICH – In light of his advocacy and support for early childhood education programs, U.S. Representative Richard Hanna was bestowed the “YMCA Congressional Champion Award” at the Norwich Family YMCA on Wednesday.
Hanna has a longstanding history of vying for legislation that allows working families easier access to effective and affordable early education programs similar to those offered through the Norwich YMCA. According to the organization, Hanna’s passion to improve education goes hand in hand with its mission of strengthening the local community.
Particularly, Hanna was lauded by the Y for his lead sponsorship of the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, which proposes to expand and improve early learning opportunities over the course of 10 years for children from birth to age five. The bill, first introduced in 2013, would create a new federal-state partnership to provide affordable access to pre-K programs for qualified low and moderate income families.
“Nothing breaks intergenerational poverty better than education in general, but pre-K specifically,” said Hanna. “The paybacks on pre-K are anywhere between seven to one, to 14 to one. It’s a shame we don’t invest in it in our country more than we do.”
According to studies cited by the YMCA, there’s an estimated $7 return for each dollar invested in early learning, based on long-term savings from increased tax revenue, crime savings, education savings and welfare savings.
“With a focus on the economic future of this great nation, Representative Hanna considers early childhood education to be a promise of opportunity in helping young children grow up to be successful,” said Norwich Family YMCA Executive Director James Mullen. “He understands that quality early learning yields a positive return on investment – a belief we share at the YMCA. An investment in our nation’s children is an investment in our nation’s future.”
Mullen was joined in presenting the YMCA Congressional Champion Award by Hank Leo, Executive Director of the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley. Mullen noted that the award was a proper follow-up to the 2014 Advocacy Days in Washington, which was attended by YMCA leaders in February. The Y says that event was a chance promote its role in communities and advocate for policies that support nurturing youth, healthy living and social responsibility.
“The Y is dedicated to providing positive, meaningful early childhood education programs to equip children with a strong educational background,” said YMCA of the USA Chief Government Affairs Officer Neal Denton in a written statement. “We are fortunate to have elected officials such as Representative Hanna who share our passion.”
Said Hanna, “There is probably no single investment we can make today to break intergenerational poverty, reduce crime, make more successful lives, and influence outcomes from birth to death better than investing in Pre-K.”
Hanna additionally touted other works of legislation he backs, including the International Violence Against Women Act, and support for better women’s health care. “All of those are things our office has happily and consistently stood behind,” he said.
The YMCA is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The Norwich Y is one of 2,700 across the U.S. and its 650 members are among 21 million members nationwide.