Did you attempt to get your statement cleared by the Department, and did succeed, or for what reason can you not speak for the Department of Labor this morning.

Mr. MAYMI. No. 1, the agency that would be reviewing and technically commenting on the bill would be HEW, which has expertise, and this kind of responsibility in Government.

I think also, the invitation as it came to me, was not to come representing the Department of Labor's views, or the administration's, but to come as a friend who could assist this committee in, I suppose, underlining the need for child care; and I think that I have done this.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Will the gentleman yield?

It is my understanding that in addition to what Ms. Maymi has just said, that HEW has requested to testify later concerning this legislation.

Mr. PRESSLER. I have no further questions.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Ms. Maymi, again we want to thank you very much for your most helpful statement and your replies to our questions. MS. MAYMI. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. BRADEMAS. We are pleased to call next on the distinguished Governor of New Mexico, Hon. Jerry Apodaca. Welcome to the committee.

STATEMENT OF HON. JERRY APODACA, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO, AND CHAIRMAN OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD TASK FORCE EDUCATION COMMISSION OF THE STATES

Governor APODACA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and members of the committees.

I think, Mr. Chairman, that the committee has received a copy of my remarks. In the event the copy is needed, I will have it here for the committee.

I would like to do what I do in New Mexico, and just expound briefly on the statement, then hopefully yield to whatever questions you and members of the committee might have.

Mr. Chairman, shortly after taking office as Governor of New Mexico, I was asked to serve as chairman of the Early Childhood Task Force of the Educational Commission of the States.

I very willingly agreed to do so, in spite of the fact I knew in the early months of my administration I would be faced with many problems within my own State.

I, for a long time, have agreed with many people, Mr. Chairman, that education really is the future of this whole country, and of our young people in it, and I further agree with the course the members of the Early Childhood Task Force expressed, that the early years of a person's life makes so much difference in what their whole future might in fact bring them.

For that reason, Mr. Chairman, I am here before the committee this morning in support of the proposed legislation that your committee is now pondering.

I think this piece of legislation very clearly deals with the problems of a child at an early age. Most psychologists I think are willing to admit that sometime by the age of 6, at which time we bring our children into our public school, or private school systems, there have been some wasted years.

I think what this proposal would do, Mr. Chairman, and what our task force would totally support, are some very basic things. I think all of us agree that we have to strengthen the role of the family, to question the whole concept of early childhood development, and to evaluate the handicaps of young children.

I think we need to work very diligently for remedial programs as they deal with these specific and individual problems.

We have to develop the role of the family, Mr. Chairman, if we are going to deal with the problems that really exist.

We have to learn to involve the parents, but involving the parents means educating them properly. We cannot compound the problems of the family that is already being deprived of educational opportunities by ignoring the role of the parent, and ignoring the responsibility that we have toward the parent in making that parent capable of dealing with his own children.

This proposed act, Mr. Chairman, includes the very obvious requirements of any legislation that deals with child care, including health care, nutrition, legal services, education for the parent and education. for preschool children with special needs.

I think that last one, Mr. Chairman, obviously can include a multitude of things from economic deficiencies to language barriers, and many, many other factors.

Mr. Chairman, studies have clearly shown that approximately 35 percent of the children at age 4 show some sort of behavioral difficulty. Studies also indicate by age 6 these difficulties could well develop into learning handicaps.

So I think that it is incumbent on those of us in public office, to recognize the problem, to deal with it, and to provide some leadership in dealing with early childhood education.

I think that this program, Mr. Chairman, more than anything is going to call for real partnership between all levels of government, starting with the Federal level, State and local districts, of course.

There are many States that have acted wisely on the whole question of early childhood development. There are others that are now on the fringes of beginning. I think with a little extra push from Congress. I would hope that in the next few years, programs for early childhood development would be implemented very rapidly.

Mr. Chairman, with those very brief remarks, I will be glad to answer any questions.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Thank you very much, Governor Apodaca, for your

statement.

Naturally, as a sponsor of this legislation, I am gratified to know that the task force of the Education Commission of the States endorses, as you suggest, the objectives and basic concepts embodied in the bill before us.

On page 6 of your statement, you note that 16 States have a mechanism to plan and coordinate service delivery.

I take it you mean delivery of services for families and children, because later you say that in 11 additional States there are State offices of child and family services, and I am not clear as to the distinction between the kinds of mechanisms represented in the 16 States and those represented in the 11 States.

Governor APODACA. Mr. Chairman, I think this basic difference would be that the 16 States-and that number might vary somewhat, depending upon the timetable-have indeed implemented programs that have long identified the problem areas, and are now in the process of dealing with these problems.

I think in the 11 States I referred to in my prepared statement, these offices have been created either by executive order of the Governor or by the legislature, or simply by private organizations, where the programs are not totally identified, and the services are not really being provided at this time.

In many cases, this is obviously because of lack of funds.

Mr. BRADEMAS. To what extent would you say, as Governor, the States have made commitments of State tax dollars to support the kinds of services contemplated in this legislation?

Governor APODACA. Mr. Chairman, I think that it varies.

Very frankly, I think many States are feeling the pinch of many Federal programs that have been very worthwhile, and that they are trying to pick up at the State level.

I think where it involves school districts, most States are doing a more than adequate job in trying to meet their responsibilities.

Outside of the responsibility itself where the services might have to go into some other agency, I think the States are able to do very little. Mr. BRADEMAS. My general impression has been along those lines, but I think it is true in a number of States there are not even kindergarten services provided, and I make this point for two reasons.

First, I have been somewhat skeptical of the commitment of a number of State leaders-unlike yourself, I hasten to say-to provide services to children and families from State tax dollars. Second, at the same time-welcome what appears to be an increasing interest on the part of Federal Government leaders in doing so. I am gratified by your statement on the one hand, but I maintain an open-minded skepticism with respect to what ought to be the appropriate role of the State in implementing this kind of a program.

To put it in plainer English, I would be more sympathetic to an increased role for the States in administering funds under this kind of program were there a more positive record of previous or current State commitment from State tax dollars to the provision of such services.

That is just a rhetorical observation on my part, and if you have any comment, please feel free to make it.

Governor APODACA. No, I can appreciate your concern, Mr. Chairman, on the lack of commitment that has taken place, frankly not only at the State level, but even the local level.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Yes.

Governor APODACA. So we would hope that by initiating this act here in Congress perhaps the momentum and the commitment to the problems might be initiated.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Ms. Chisholm. MS. CHISHOLM. Thank you, Governor. It is good to see you. Your testimony indicates that the stto 8 years of a child's life are very, very important, and if chi.. n are in an adverse position culturally, in an adverse environmental setting that might be detrimental in terms of their intellectual and emotional growth. The State

that you govern, New Mexico, has 64 percent of your Chicano families headed by females, as contrasted to approximately 48 percent of the poverty stricken families headed by Puerto Ricans.

What is your feeling with respect to bilingualism in these centers if, indeed, we are to reverse so many of the conditions these youngsters have to face in these settings?

Governor APODACA. Mr. Chairman, Representative Chisholm, I think the question is one that should raise concern.

Let me tell you the situation that I saw in New Mexico one time where even though the population in the particular school district was only about 20 percent Mexican American, the enrollment in the special education classes that were held within one facility of that district was something like 85 percent Mexican American in special education classes.

The conclusion had to be, then, if that were true, for whatever reasons, Mexican Americans have a higher percentage of learning disabilities than the other ethnic groups.

The fact was that the learning disability was the language barrier and not any emotional or other mental learning disability.

I think those percentages of enrollment, or percentages of school population, had to be alarming and had to raise those questions.

I think that is very much a problem area that any State with a large ethnic group which uses another language besides English as their primary language, has to deal with.

I think that our State is dealing with it. We are dealing with it, I think, more and more every day. The problem is, at this point, we are dealing with it in isolated areas in a minimal percentage in relation to the young people who could use the assistance, and frankly not until, in many cases, the young child is either in kindergarten or in first grade.

A product of that type of training at an early age is now beginning to surface in our State because delivery programs have now operated there for about 12 years-not quite, but pretty close to that.

If I may speak to my State for awhile, we have about a 30- to 35percent Mexican American community. We have about a 6- to 7-percent Indian community varying from Pueblo to Navajo to Apache, and about 2-percent population of black.

In many of these areas, it has been discovered that any time language assistance can be provided at an early age, where the primary language is utilized to help the young child develop English, it is working remarkably well.

So, even though we do not allude to it in our prepared statement, specifically, I think that in those areas where a second language is very much in evidence, one must consider that as part of the program. MS. CHISHOLM. Thank you very much.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Mr. Jeffords.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I understood Mr. Brademas' questions on State priorities, and I wonder if you would give your views as to why the States do not give higher priority to child development programs.

Obviously States have the authority to establish priorities.

Is it a lack of belief that people should have a higher priority? Is it a failure on our part as leaders to acquaint States with the need for these programs at that age level?

Governor APODACA. I think, first of all, there is a late recognition. I think it is only in the last maybe 10 years that people in the field of education, and psychologists and people in those areas of concern, have really begun to express opinion and reasons for working with children at a much earlier age, beyond the age of 6.

I think, about the same time that this happened, there was a tremendous impact on our schools; for example, in the early elementary grades.

I think now all the records clearly indicate a decline in enrollment at those early levels of first, second, and third grade. I think States can now begin to reevaluate their priorities, and that with additional help the emphasis can be there.

Frankly, I think legislative bodies, and executive offices at the Governor's level, have now begun to realize the impact of education. I know when I first started 8 years ago as a member of a committee on improvement of education, my philosophy was to improve what we have in New Mexico. I was rather resistant to starting spending money somewhere else.

It did not take me very long, however, to change my attitude that this should begin far before grade 1.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I would like to know what you have in mind for your State as far as programs and dollars for the future in reestablishing your own priorities.

Governor APODACA. First of all, we are in the process of implementing a statewide kindergarten system in New Mexico, which, as yet, we still do not have. Our target date is 1977.

We need to prepare for it in many ways, not only by financing, but by making sure that we have a sufficient number of teachers available for the kindergarten program.

We also hope to expand day care centers, which directly assist families, most of which are economically deprived.

Those are two areas that we hope to deal with.

We are now working very diligently to try to identify the number of units or the number of children with special learning disabilities so that we can improve our special educational opportunities.

We are consistently expanding our appropriations for bilingual education which have grown by significant percentages in the last 2 years and, hopefully, will continue to expand them.

I think those are three areas in our State we are prepared to make that commitment to, and I just cannot help but feel that other States, of course, will very much feel the same way.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Mr. Lehman.

Mr. LEHMAN. I yield back the balance of my time. It is a privilege to have the Governor here.

Governor APODACA. Thank you.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Mr. Cornell.

Mr. CORNELL. Governor, I noted in your written statement, the thrust of it, at least as far as I could see, stressed the importance of a family, and if I might just quote you, you said:

The family is the most crucial factor in early childhood development. The family is the most effective and logical system for delivering to young children the educational and developmental stimulation which will influence their later lives.