Business Letter
Dear Member of Congress,
As business leaders, we understand the importance of fiscal responsibility, of balancing the books each year. But we also understand that short-term savings can sometimes lead to long-term losses. We recognize that Congress has to make difficult decisions to get our nation’s financial books in order, but balancing these deficits with cuts to the Head Start and Early Head Start programs is a prime example of good intentions gone awry.
For our businesses to succeed we need a healthy, educated, stable work force and Head Start is one of the best ways to ensure that students enter school ready to learn and succeed. Researchers, academics, even a Nobel Laureate economist have convinced us that quality early childhood education has enormous short- and long-term benefits. In the short-term, for every dollar we spend in a community on comprehensive early education efforts like Head Start, two dollars are returned to the local economy.
In the long-term, research has convincingly demonstrated that spending on comprehensive early childhood efforts like Head Start produces a 10% annual return over the life of a child. Better school performance, fewer resources devoted to special education, lower health care costs for the child and the family, reduced instances of incarceration and arrest, longer life expectancy – these are all proven outcomes of a high-quality comprehensive early education program like Head Start. Most importantly, these programs produce more high school graduates—an absolutely critical step to success in the workforce. Federal Reserve Bank Chair Ben Bernanke, in recent testimony to Congress, suggested, “Research increasingly has shown the benefits of early childhood education and efforts to promote the lifelong acquisition of skills for both individuals and the economy as a whole.”
As we look ahead and plan for the long-term needs of our businesses, we are convinced that cutting spending on Head Start now means spending significantly more in later years to train, remediate, and rehabilitate the young adults we will need to hire. Let’s take this opportunity to shape a successful future. Ensure that Head Start has the funds it needs today so we can have the workforce we need tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Kevin Carnes
President of Educational Division
Lakeshore Learning
James Brown
President
Creekside Farms
Republic, MO
Brandi Soules
Investigator
Texas Workforce Commission
Austin, TX
Deborah Ross
Partner
DEPKE Inc.
Hastings, NE
Mike Bonifas
Manager
Bonifas Management
Hastings, NE
Cristina Vallejo-Cruz
Business Owner
CVC My Language
Modesto, CA
Ana Reyes
FCS Programs Assistant
NC Cooperative Ext. Services
Jacksonville, NC
Jeanette Gardiner
Consultant
Gardiner Business Support Services
Palmer, AK
John D Pagan
Agency Principal
John D Pagan Insurance Agency
Middletown, NY
Deborah Shinn
Instructor
University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, OK
Jessica Keyser
Director
Hazel Park Memorial Library
Hazel Park, MI
Gregory P. Parsons
Partner
Osborne, Parsons & Rosacker, LLP
Colorado Springs, CO
Richard Baron
Founder/Owner
Responsive Management Systems®
Seattle, WA
Peggy King
Public Health Nurse
Kids Northwest
Seattle, WA
Susan Gough
President
Priority Health Services Inc.
Warren, MI
Denard Davis
Consultant
D&D Associates
Merced, CA
Pam Ruster
President/CEO
Supportive Systems, LLC
Indianapolis, IN
Frances Bundschu
Consultant
Fran's Admin Service
Bradenton, FL
Suzanne Labry
Writer
Texas Gardener Magazine
Burnet, TX
Richard Serna
Senior Vice President
FirstMerit Bank
Chicago , IL
Jaynee Langley
Owner
DL Marine
Shell Knob, MO
Alice Doyel
Partner
KLDstudio LLC
Seattle, WA
George Thomassy
Retired Venture Capitalist
Stamford, CT
Marla Felcher
Consultant
Self-Employed
Berkeley, CA
Jennifer Alderman
Owner
SLO CONSIGNMENT
San Luis Obispo, CA
Lori Soren
Market President
U.S. Bank
Las Vegas, NV
Matt Vettel
Managing Partner
Great Hill Partners
Weston , MA
Steven Manning
Chief Product Officer
AdMarvel
San Francisco, CA
Mari Blaustein
Director of Early Childhood Initiatives
The Source for Learning, Inc.
Herndon, VA
Melissa High
Consultant
The Pampered Chef
Copperopolis, CA
Thomas Dean
President
Murdock Capital Partners
New York, NY
Nancy Tamosaitis
President
Vorticom Inc.
New York, NY
Bradford Noble
Founder
PostPost
Waltham, MA
Chris Berry
President
House Mountain Partners, LLC
New York, NY
Patricia Heyer
Human Resources & Dev.
CIBA-Geigy
Summit, NJ
Kyle Steckley
Recording Engineer
Flatline Productions, LLC
Portland, OR
Debra Shuey
Owner
Lighthouse Consultation Services
Lena, AK
Susan Wirth
Outreach Director
Nature Explore
Lincoln, NE
Michael Smith
Owner
Michael's Welding & Repair
Hill City, Kansas 67642
Theresa Marangas
Partner
Wilson, Elser
Albany, New York 12207
Winifred Hagan
President
Hagan Education Associates Inc.
Boston, MA 02115
Samuel Wu
Managing Director
MedImmune Ventures
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Tonja Holder
Owner
Durga Consulting
Clarkston, GA 30021
Michael Manning
Vice President, Marketing
LoopNet
San Francisco, CA 94107
Joe Najjar
Managing Director
Najjar Investment Group
Acton, MA 01720
Margaret Anderson Kelliher
President & CEO
MHTA Roseville, MN 55113
Preston Heller
Chair &CEO (Ret.)
Pioneeer-Standard Electronics
Solon, Ohio 44022
Brian Dearing
Chairman of the Board
ARI Network Service, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Jane Bancroft
Retired V.P.
Adams Harkness and Hill
Waitsfield, VT 05673
Alfred Coe Bancroft
Retired President
David MacGregor Co.
Waitsfield, VT 05673
James Furneaux
Chairman
Intersense Inc.
Billerica , MA 01821
Matt Hovis
CEO
Exopolis
Austin, Texas 78702
Max Bazerman
Professor
Harvard Business School
Boston, MA 02163
Dwain Rittenhouse
President
Clinton Nevada, LLC
North Las Vegas, Nevada 89030
Wendell Brown
Journeymen Plumber/instructor
Kerrigan Plumbing
Wilmette, IL 60091
Peter High
President
Metis Strategy
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Robert Dropkin
Doctor
Dropkin & Costello OB/GYN
Albany, NY 12203
George Carpinello
Attorney
Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
Albany, NY 12207
Pawan Deshpande
CEO
HiveFire, Inc.
Cambridge, MA 02142
Robert Friel
Chairman & CEO
PerkinElmer Inc.
Waltham, MA 02451
Maria McDonough
Director
Ria's House Childcare
Mansfield, MA 02048
Deborah Giroux
Education Consultant
Malone, NY, 12901
Jeff Osborn
President
Dock Street Brokers
Seattle, WA 98107
Julia Cremin
Product Marketing Specialist
Varitronics
Madison, WI 53715
Michael Pittman
Owner/Operator
Michael James Salon
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
Ronda Murdick
Partner
Carter Creek ATV, LLC
Van Buren, MO 63965
Joseph Payette Jr
Chief Technology Officer, Principle
Greane Tree Technology
Troy, NY 12180
Annmarie Lanesey
President
Greane Tree Technology
Troy, NY 12180
William Rodriguez
CEO
Daktari Diagnostics
Cambridge, MA 02139
Dr. David Muller
CEO
Avedro Inc
Waltham, MA 02451
Vanessa King
deCODE Genetics
Vice President, Business Development
Boston, MA 02114
Michael Patterson
Chief Information Officer
Arkansas Early Learning, Inc.
Rogers, AR 72757
Afeni Washington
Administrative Secretary
Clark County
North Las Vegas, NV 89031
Jeff Olson
Owner
Charlie’s Resort
Lake City, SD 57247
Chris Caswell
Owner
C&C
Marion, NC 28752
Cindy Cox
Vice President of Operations
Diapers 4 Less, Inc.
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428
Brenda Erickson
Montessori Teacher
Counterpane/Souns for Literacy
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Lydia Butler
Director/Family Enrichment Service Worker
Waldron Child Development Inc.
Waldron, AR 72958
Michael Kanser
Energy Efficiency Programs Manager
Consumers Energy
Jackson, MI 49201
Keith Crabbs
Owner
Lucky t. Clown
New Castle, DE 19720
Paul Gaughan
President
Metropolitan Bank
Chicago , IL 60608
Timothy Moore
Vice President, Finance
Blessing Hospital
Quincy, IL 62305
Robert Dixon
IT Director
University of Colorado
Boulder , CO 80309
Karen Tedrow
Owner
Thingsold & Thingsnew
Libertyville, IA 52567
Harold Anderson
Mental Health Consultant
Harold W. Anderson LLC
Fort Morgan, CO 80701
Jesus Cura
Owner
Cura's Painting Co.
Barrigada, Guam 96921
Charles Guy
Owner
Charlie's
Lake City, SD 57247
Gretchen Soto
Psycholigist
Consultorio Sicologico
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00970
Terrel Stevens
Retiree
GM
Pontiac, MI 48340
Karen Jackson
Vice President, Marketing
Ellen & Kay, Inc.
Bridgeport, CT 06604