Talk of poverty’s oppression, hope dominates as Tulsans address Congressional hearing – Tulsa World

Invoking chapter 58 of the Book of Isaiah, Don Millican spoke Thursday to a congressional committee on behalf of the George Kaiser Family Foundation on the importance of funding early childhood programs, particularly those targeted to low-income families.

It tells me all of my religious practices are worthless if I do not break the yoke of oppression. In my opinion, there is no greater yoke of oppression than that laid upon a child born in generational poverty a child who did not choose the circumstances of his or her birth, said Millican, chief financial officer of Kaiser-Francis Oil Co. and board member for Tulsa Educare.

Tulsa represented two of the four positions on the panel before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, which is led by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma. The subcommittee is responsible for making decisions on allocations to its designated agencies.

Also featured were Steven Dow, executive director of the Community Action Project of Tulsa, which administers the local federal Head Start grant; actress Jennifer Garner, representing Save the Children; and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, professor of child development and education at Columbia University.

Cole excused himself after about 30 minutes in order to attend a meeting of the appropriations committee. When making introductions of the panelists, Cole referred to Millican and Dow as friends of his.

I sort of packed the panel a little, but I knew youd like these people, Cole told the committee members.

In Millicans remarks, he described how Oklahoma developed a program of grants for high-quality child-care centers in which the state chipped in $10 million matched by $15 million in private donations.

We believe this committee should consider a similar structure for federal grants, he said. The value of public-private partnerships is somewhat obvious as government dollars are stretched further through private philanthropy, but we further believe these partnerships add an element of local accountability as donors expect a return on their philanthropic investment and the reporting to prove it.

As a businessman, I also understand there are times we must do more with less.

Millican recommended strengthening the re-compete process for Head Start grants and encouraging more federal dollars go to programs serving children age infant to 3.

Its always hard re-allocating funds, Millican said. By being good stewards of these resources, it means requiring poor agencies to lose funds and strong agencies to gain, and these re-allocations should happen even across state borders. We owe this to the children and to the taxpayers to remove poor performers and reward excellence.

Garner, known for her roles on TV shows such as Alias and in films including The Dallas Buyers Club and 13 Going on 30, is a trustee for Save the Children. She also makes home visits on behalf of the program to speak for those in poverty.

Also, her mother grew up on a farm in Locust Grove as one of 10 children before going to college and moving with her husband to West Virginia, where Garner was raised. She describes herself as one generation and one holler away from poverty, and knew many friends facing hardships while growing up.

I couldnt stand up for them back then, but I can stand up for them now, Garner testified. Poverty is silent. Go into those homes and listen for the sounds of adult conversation. There is none. Listen for children laughing or crying. Poverty is silent.

Garner said federal grants used by Save the Children allow for home visits to teach mothers how to connect with their babies and toddlers. While it may seem instinctual or common sense for a parent to read, talk, laugh or play with a child, some parents deprived of those basic comforts as children never learn how to pass them on.

A child who is not touched, spoken to or read to in his or her life will not fully recover. Neglect is every bit as harmful as abuse, Garner said. I never look at these people and say How could you. I say, But there but for the grace of God go I. We can intervene in these childrens lives to make a difference.

Dow outlined lessons learned through Tulsas development as a national model for early childhood programs. Those include hiring and retaining teachers by paying the same as local public schools, partnering with existing state and local programs to leverage federal resources, having strong kindergarten and early elementary programs to build on the foundation and offering social programs to meet family needs of housing and nutrition.

He stressed there is no silver bullet for intervening in poverty and that all the elements including the role of the federal government play together for the best results.

With more federal funding, we can help stimulate state, local and private investment to help millions of children and families to reach their full potential, Dow said.

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Michigan asked about the concern of losing religious liberty in raising children when government offers early childhood programs, saying some people argue government is the oppressor playing off Millicans opening statement. A panelist noted the federal child care development block grant can go to faith-based groups.

Millican said Oklahoma had no counties in the last presidential election that voted for the Democratic candidate.

We are a very conservative state. We are a very religious-focused state, and this kind of early childhood emphasis is done in Oklahoma, Millican said. There is recognition that these children who are in poverty are not going to have a lot of options. They really dont have the religious kind of preschool options to have the kind of training they need to have the social, emotional language skills they require to have a chance in life. This kind of focus is not for the broad population in Oklahoma. This is for a specific need ... In this case, its poverty that is the oppressor.

Several committee members mentioned the budget recommendation released by President Donald Trump earlier this week included an 18 percent cut to Health and Human Services programs, referring to it as heart-breaking and budget dust.

It is Congress who puts together the budget. We are the ones who decide through hearings and so forth and testimony on whether programs are actually being successful or not, said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, who was filling in for Cole.

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Talk of poverty's oppression, hope dominates as Tulsans address Congressional hearing - Tulsa World