Politico, By Libby A. Nelson

PRE-K BILL DROPS TODAY: Senate HELP Chairman Tom Harkin and Reps. George Miller and Richard Hanna introduce legislation this morning aimed at expanding access to high-quality, full-day preschool for 4-year-olds from low- to moderate-income families. The Senate and House bills look conceptually like President Barack Obama’s proposal for universal pre-K, but don’t include a tobacco tax as a source of funding. More from Caitlin Emma: http://politico.pro/1bCDGR9

–ReadyNation, the First Five Years Fund, First Focus, the Center for American Progress, University of Chicago Professor and Nobel Prize winner James Heckman and the National Institute for Early Education Research didn’t wait for the official introduction to issue statements of support. “As Congress considers this bill, policymakers can promote its success by staying true to a few essential principles: focus on disadvantaged families, start at birth, integrate health, develop cognitive and character skills, and encourage local innovation in quality programs from birth to age five,” Heckman wrote.

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