Media Contact: Allie Wright, [email protected], (202) 794-1823

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 18, 2016) – Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) today announced its endorsement of state Senator Jeanie Forrester in the New Hampshire Republican gubernatorial primary race.

“We are proud to support Jeanie Forrester, who will work hard to achieve expanded access to high-quality early education in the Granite State,” said Mark Shriver, President of SCAN. “Senator Forrester understands that education is vitally important for the future of New Hampshire and that high-quality early childhood education is a key component to any long-term strategy to fight the state’s heroin and opioid epidemic.”

New Hampshire is one of the only states east of the Mississippi River without state-funded preschool.

“Without access to high-quality early learning programs, children fall behind. Many never catch up,” Shriver said. “These programs aren’t cheap and understandably, funding is a large hurdle in the debate. But New Hampshire needs a leader who will fight for equal opportunity for all children. As Senator Forrester knows, early education is key in the fight against poverty and helps prepare the state’s workforce for the future.”

In order to minimize the financial impact on New Hampshire taxpayers, Forrester supports expanding pre-K programs if the state is able to secure private funding in order to sustain these programs.

“I strongly urge Republican primary voters to support Jeanie Forrester on September 13th,” said Shriver. “It is critical that policy makers at the local, state and federal levels do all they can to invest in early learning and I believe Jeanie Forrester will be a strong advocate for kids if she is elected governor.”

###

Save the Children Action Network is the political voice for kids. We believe that every child deserves the best start in life. That’s why we’re building bipartisan will and voter support to make sure every child in the U.S. has access to high-quality early learning and that no mother or child around the globe dies from a preventable disease or illness. By investing in kids and holding leaders accountable, we are helping kids from birth to age five survive and thrive.