PUTTING OUR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FIRST
Every child in America deserves a great education, no matter what neighborhood they grow up in, how much their parents make, or what their ZIP code happens to be.
And no parent should have to choose between caring for a newborn, staying home with a sick child, or keeping a paycheck coming in.
For too long, we have treated education, childcare, and family leave as individual problems families are supposed to figure out on their own.
They aren't.
Investing in children and families is investing in the future of our country.
End the ZIP Code Lottery in Public Education
A child's education should not depend on the property value of the homes surrounding their school.
But that is exactly what happens when local property wealth determines how much money schools have.
Children in wealthy communities get newer facilities, smaller class sizes, more programs, and greater opportunities.
Children in poorer communities are told to make do with less.
That is not equality of opportunity.
Our plan will significantly increase federal investment in public education and target resources toward schools and communities that have historically been underfunded.
A child's ZIP code should never determine the quality of their education.
Give Every Child Universal Pre-K
Every child should have the opportunity to begin school ready to learn.
Our plan will provide universal, publicly funded pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old in America.
We will:
Build and expand high-quality early childhood education facilities
Train and hire qualified early childhood educators
Pay childcare and pre-K workers professional wages
Expand programs in rural and underserved communities
Make early childhood education available to every family, regardless of income
Universal pre-K gives children a stronger start and gives parents greater freedom to work, go to school, or care for their families.
Make Childcare Affordable for Every Family
Childcare has become one of the largest expenses facing working families.
For many parents, especially parents with multiple young children, childcare can cost as much as rent or a mortgage.
That is unsustainable.
We will dramatically expand federal support for childcare so that no working family is forced to spend an unreasonable share of its income simply to have someone safely care for their children.
We will also raise wages for childcare workers and expand the number of available childcare providers, particularly in rural communities and childcare deserts.
Parents should be able to afford to work, and childcare workers should be able to afford to live.
Guarantee Paid Family and Medical Leave
Having a baby should not mean losing your paycheck.
Neither should developing cancer, caring for a dying parent, recovering from surgery, or staying home with a seriously ill child.
We will establish a national paid family and medical leave program so workers can take necessary time away from work without falling into financial crisis.
Workers will be able to take paid leave to:
Welcome and bond with a new child
Recover from childbirth
Care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, or family member
Recover from their own serious illness or medical condition
Address major caregiving emergencies
No American should have to choose between their family and their job.
Paid family leave is not a luxury.
It is basic economic security.
Give America's Teachers a Raise
We say teachers are important.
We should start paying them like they are.
Our plan will provide federal funding to immediately increase teacher compensation, with a goal of raising teacher pay by at least $10,000 per year while directing additional resources toward the lowest-paid districts and hardest-to-staff schools.
We will also strengthen educators' ability to organize and collectively bargain for:
Better wages
Smaller class sizes
Safer schools
Better working conditions
Adequate classroom resources
Teachers should be teaching.
They should not be working second jobs to pay their bills or buying basic classroom supplies with their own money.
Let Students Graduate High School With a Head Start
Not every student needs the same path after high school.
Some will attend universities
Some will learn a trade.
Some will enter the workforce.
We should prepare students for all of those paths.
Our plan will allow every high school student to graduate with the opportunity to earn either:
An associate degree, or
A recognized trade or technical credential
at no cost to the student or family.
We will expand partnerships between public high schools, community colleges, trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and unions.
A student should be able to graduate from high school already prepared to enter a good-paying career or continue toward a bachelor's degree.
Make Public College and Trade School Tuition-Free
Higher education should be a path to opportunity, not decades of debt.
Our plan will make tuition at public colleges, universities, community colleges, and qualified trade schools tuition-free.
Students who want to become teachers, nurses, electricians, engineers, welders, scientists, plumbers, mechanics, or anything else our country needs should be able to get the education necessary to do it without taking on crushing debt.
Cancel Student Debt
Millions of Americans did exactly what they were told to do.
They worked hard.
They went to college.
They tried to build a better life.
And many were rewarded with tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
That debt delays:
Buying a home
Starting a family
Opening a business
Saving for retirement
Building wealth
Our plan will cancel existing federal student loan debt and reform higher education so that we do not simply recreate the same debt crisis for the next generation.
Education should expand opportunity, not become a lifelong financial penalty.
Invest Early Instead of Paying for Failure Later
Children who experience poverty, instability, hunger, violence, neglect, or other serious childhood trauma often carry those consequences into adulthood.
Those experiences can affect educational achievement, health, employment, and long-term well-being.
Instead of waiting until families are already in crisis, we should invest earlier.
We will strengthen:
School counselors
Mental health services
Nutrition programs
Early childhood education
Family support
Community schools
After-school programs
Violence prevention
Youth development programs
Helping children succeed early is both the compassionate thing to do and one of the smartest investments government can make.
Make Wall Street Help Pay for It
Wall Street moves trillions of dollars through financial markets while working families are told that universal pre-K, affordable childcare, better schools, paid leave, and tuition-free public college are somehow too expensive.
Our plan will impose a small financial transaction tax on Wall Street trades, including stocks, bonds, derivatives, and other financial instruments.
The people making ordinary purchases at the grocery store already pay taxes on transactions every day.
Wall Street can afford to contribute too.
Revenue from that tax will help finance:
Universal pre-K
Affordable childcare
Better-funded public schools
Higher teacher pay
Tuition-free public college and trade school
Student debt relief
Expanded educational opportunities for high school students
Investments in children and families
Put Families First
We can afford to give every child a great education.
We can afford to make childcare accessible.
We can afford to pay teachers what they deserve.
We can afford to let parents care for newborn babies and sick family members without losing their income.
And we can afford to educate the next generation without burying them in debt.
The question isn't whether America has the resources.
The question is what we choose to prioritize.
Our children should come before Wall Street profits.
Our teachers should come before tax giveaways.
And families should never have to go broke because they decided to have a child, get an education, or take care of someone they love.
Put children first. Put families first. Invest in America's future.
