Education
I am committed to ensuring that every child can access a world-class education, that our teachers and school leaders have the support they need to educate their students, and that every student who works hard and wants to attend higher education is able to afford it.
As a proud member of the Education and Labor Committee since my first term in Congress, I am working hard to improve our education and workforce systems so they work for every child, student, and family in the Greater Lehigh Valley.
Children and Early Learning
Across Pennsylvania, too many families struggle to find high-quality and affordable child care. The cost of child care has increased by 25 percent in the last decade and 50 percent of families live in child care deserts. This is why I am a leader of the Child Care for Working Families Act. This legislation would establish a child care and early learning infrastructure that ensures working families can find and afford the child care they need to succeed in the workforce, and that children will receive the early education they need to thrive.
I am also proud to be a leader on child abuse prevention and treatment, to make sure every child has the resources for a healthy start and to succeed in their early years. I have introduced three bills, the Jenna Quinn Law, the WE CAN Act, and the SPEAK Up Act, which will improve child abuse and prevention programs and reporting.
In addition, I know that for children to be able to learn in the classroom successfully, they need to have their basic needs met. Child hunger and malnutrition is one such basic need that is an issue of the highest moral imperative. That is why I am proud to sponsor my bipartisan bill, the Schools Preventing Hunger in At-Risk Kids Act, which would expand free school meals for more children in need of extra nutrition support.
Higher Education
The Greater Lehigh Valley is lucky to be home to more than 10 institutions of higher education, which provide a range of educational opportunities for students and support our local economy by producing a highly skilled workforce.
I believe that every student who works hard and wants to access higher education should be able to afford it. I am proud to support comprehensive efforts to make our nation's higher education and workforce development systems more affordable and accessible for all families. During the 116th Congress, I joined in introducing the College Affordability Act, which would comprehensively update our higher education system, lower the cost of college for students, improve the quality of higher education, and expand opportunity by providing students with the support and flexibility they need to succeed while in college and beyond.
Additionally, I am proud to sponsor my bill, the Simplifying Student Loans Act, which would reduce the cost of college by making it cheaper and easier for student loan borrowers to repay their federal student loans. I am also proud to sponsor the Expanding Disability Access to Higher Education Act, which would support students will disabilities in applying to college and succeeding while in college, and the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act, which would help colleges and universities better support the mental health needs of their students.
More on Education
Representative Susan Wild, a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with 70 of her colleagues, voiced her concerns on the delayed rollout of this year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In their letter, the Members of Congress also requested the Department of Education provide answers to questions raised by families and students across the nation and clarity on the timeline.
Yesterday, Congresswoman Susan Wild (PA-07) a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, introduced the Jenna Quinn Law of 2024 with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10), and Congressman Nathaniel Moran (TX-01). The Jenna Quinn Law of 2024 would authorize current grant funds to be used to train and educate students, teachers, school employees, caregivers, and other adults who work with children on sexual abuse prevention. The bill is named for Jenna Quinn, a Texan and survivor of child abuse.
BETHLEHEM, P.A. – Today, Congresswoman Susan Wild joined child care providers and parents at the Greater Valley YMCA, Bethlehem Branch for a roundtable discussion on what a lapse in child care funding would mean for them.
- U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, was host for a roundtable discussion on the child care crisis Tuesday at Bethlehem YMCA
- Wild said she worries Congress will not approve President Biden's request for $16 billion in supplemental child care funding
- Lack of government funding may cause 70,000 child care providers to close, she said
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Cleo Otero is a single mother of four hanging from the fraying end of her child care rope.
- Pandemic funding for the child care sector expires on Sept. 30
- Congresswoman Wild is advocating for more federal funding
- Advocates say the sector needs more support
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Affordable child care could become further out of reach for more Lehigh Valley families if federal funding for day care centers and preschools expires at the end of the month.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Susan Wild helped introduce the Child Care Stabilization Act, a bill to keep America’s child care industry afloat as key child care funding is set to expire September 30th.
EASTON, P.A. – Yesterday afternoon, Congresswoman Susan Wild visited Third Street Alliance for Women and Children for a ribbon cutting of three new preschool classrooms and a roundtable on improving access to high-quality, affordable child care. Third Street Alliance’s new classrooms will allow forty-four additional children whose families earn less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level to attend the high-quality early learning center in the upcoming 2023-24 school year. The transformation of the decommissioned pool at Third Street into classroom space was made possible by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that Congresswoman Wild helped pass into law.
ALLENTOWN, P.A. – As the 2023-2024 school year begins, Congresswoman Susan Wild congratulates the eight students who accepted appointments to attend four United States Military Academies. The academies include the United States Military Academy (West Point), United States Naval Academy (USNA), United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), and United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). Nominated by Rep. Wild last year, these students underwent a competitive application and appointment process and will join the Class of 2027.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congresswoman Susan Wild spoke on the House floor to recognize an educator from Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week: Mr. Mark Lavine from the Panther Valley School District.
"Mr. Lavine epitomizes the dedication of so many educators across PA-07 who foster a lifelong love for learning in our kids," said Congresswoman Susan Wild. "This week and every week, thank a teacher who made a difference in your life, your child's life, or a loved one's life—someone like Panther Valley's Mr. Lavine."
About Mr. Mark Lavine: