Building a Foundation for Families: Fighting Hunger, Investing in Children
Douglas J. Besharov | House Budget Committee
February 12, 2009

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Because I understand that the other witnesses will make the case for investing in young children (something that I strongly agree with in theory), I will discuss what I see as the underlying question before you: How to invest in preschool programs so that they have a reasonable chance of being a success, or, to borrow a phrase from the investment world, so that they do not go sour? That is the real challenge before you, and the nation.

Because my time is short, I decided to put my testimony in the form of a series of questions and at least partial answers. Also, although there has been a tendency to speak about the goal of "universal preschool," I will address only programs for low-income children because their needs are greatest.

Click here to view this testimony as an Adobe Acrobat PDF.

Douglas J. Besharov is the Joseph J. and Violet Jacobs Scholar at AEI.

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