Sen. Barack Obama at a speech in Manning, South Carolina:

"I am running because I want a sense of urgency about our kids in Washington . When I'm in the White House, we'll reform No Child Left Behind so we don't leave the money behind. We'll recruit an army of new teachers - and make sure they come teach here in Manning - because the most important factor in a child's education is the person standing at the head of the classroom. We'll invest in early childhood education because for every dollar we put there, we get seven dollars back in reduced dropout rates, reduced delinquency, and reduced prison rates, and more young people can go to college and get good jobs. And we'll rebuild our broken schools.

"We know why this matters. It's not just that a good education is essential to helping the children of today compete more effectively as the workers of tomorrow. It's that the promise of a good education makes it possible for every child to transcend the barriers of race and class and background and achieve their God-given potential."

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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke:

In his Feb. 6 address to the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Bernanke highlighted the crucial long-term role early childhood education plays in bettering people's lives. "Recent research has documented the high returns that early childhood programs can pay in terms of subsequent educational attainment and in lower rates of social problems, such as teenage pregnancy and welfare dependency. The most successful early childhood programs appear to be those that cultivate both cognitive and non-cognitive skills and that engage families in stimulating learning at home."

Governor Jennifer Granholm (Press Release 2/22/05):

"During the first 36 months of life, dramatic brain development occurs which is either aided or hindered by early childhood experiences. It is critical that we provide opportunities to stimulate and feed children¹s minds by providing every child the opportunity for high-quality education and care."

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell (Press Release 12/12/07):

"Early education is the foundation upon which future success is built. I have long said that a child who walks through the kindergarten doors ready to learn ­ ready to make the most of the vital first four years of elementary school ­ is far more likely to succeed in school and in life. These investments are not simply about raising children who do better in school. Deep down, they are about raising the quality of life for all of us. Success in school translates to success in work and success in society, and results in fewer lives scarred by drugs, poverty or prison."

Jack Shonkoff, Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development and director of Harvard's Center on the Developing Child. (Harvard Gazette Online 12/6/07):

"We are going to have to learn what to do more in the early childhood years to improve outcomes beyond just making people think that somehow preschool is going to solve these problems."

Dr. Greg Boris, South Dakota Voices for Children senior policy and program specialist. (News Article, yankton.net 12/12/07):

"Children, especially children from low-income homes, who receive early education are less likely to need special education, commit juvenile and adult crime, become teenage parents and depend on public assistance. Actually, they are more likely to graduate from high school, enroll in a four-year college degree program, be employed as an adult and have higher earnings."