superintendents and various school board members. if you are in the audience, please stand so that we can acknowledge you as well. thank you. [applause] tois now my pleasure introduce you to the moderator of our town hall meeting. dana king was a familiar face in the bay area for 15 years as a five-time emmy me -- emmy award-winning broadcast journalist on the cbs five eyewitness news. and she has a familiar face in the rain county, where she lived for 17 years before her recent move to oakland. she has spent years volunteering on behalf of children and youths, working to make early childhood education accessible to all students. here's she is the founding government leadership chair of marin kids, an organization dedicated to access forbidden -- dedicated to access for youth and a founder of the marin start strong coalition, which seek to

secure a stable source of funding to ensure access to quality health care, preschool, child care, afterschool academic support, or all the children in marin. since moving here she spends time every week at the alameda county juvenile justice center. please join me in welcoming dana king. [applause] >> thank you very much. it is so nice to be back in marin. it is sunny and warm over here. who. i heard a gasp when someone said -- oakland. what? . do miss marin and i was here for 15 years and it will always, always be my home. my children were raised here and attended school year. now they are grown, so when they flew the coop, so did i. justt's not that far, i'm over the bridge. come and visit us.

we have great restaurants in oakland, incredible art. forgoing to do a little pr oakland. thank you so much for coming out today. we have a very, very important program to discuss. our agenda is to jumpstart the middle class. shall we? yes. are incredibly fortunate today to have our esteemed representatives in for more and and to talk about this crucial congressional plan. nancy pelosi, democratic national leader. [applause] and our very own congressman .ared huffman [applause] we will hear from the congressman in the moment. he is going to give us a thumbnail sketch of the action plan. then we will hear from students who will share their personal stories.

we will follow with work on the andd of college access affordability. and the importance of preschool and the need for childcare, without which many families cannot afford to send their children to preschool. take youre going to questions. i know it is rare to have a power base at the table in front of you. i am sure there are many things you want to discuss, but we want to stay on topic so we will go through the questions and make sure we do that. so, we will be passing -- staff has taper and pencils if you have questions. they will be passed up to me and when you are done writing raise your hand and we will pick them up. all right? so, shall we get started? all right. i want to introduce congressman hoffman. you know him, you see him all the time. an incredibly hard worker.

first and foremost, he is a dad. a father of two children married to a wonderful woman who is a public school teacher. for him education is of paramount importance. he values it as a necessary ingredient for a vibrant society and for our economy and he values it personally for his children and their future success. was sworntive hoffman in as a member of the 113th congress on january 3 of 2013. he represents our second district. the district spans from the golden gate bridge north to the oregon border and covers six counties, including all of marin , mendocino, humble, trinity, delmore day, and much of sonoma. a member of the committee on natural resources and the house budget committee in congress, as in the assembly. he has distinguished himself as

a legislator who tackles complex .ublic policy challenges he works tirelessly and he gets results. often by forging bipartisan consensus on very difficult issues. you all read the news, right? you know that bipartisanship is hard to come by, but that is what the congressman does on your behalf. , a husband, aher member of our community and the leader in congress. i am honored to call him my friend and your friend. we welcome him now to the podium. [applause] >> thank you, dana, for that great introduction. thank you for every thing you have done for the whole bay area. as a broadcaster and community leader -- i know i am not supposed to say this, but we hope you will do even more as a member of the oakland city

council soon. [applause] i want to thank all the students, the guest, the dignitaries -- certainly the college of marin for hosting this important discussion today. of course, i want to thank my colleague, our great democratic leader, nancy pelosi, for giving us some quality time in the schedule that you would not believe. the fact that she has chosen to spend this time with us is an honor and a privilege. to beat as it is for me here, i have to tell you honestly i would rather be back in session in congress right now. theuld rather be working on mountain of work that needs to be done right now. we urge the speaker to keep congress in session in order to address a number of critical priorities, including passing something president obama has requested, a critical

supplemental funding bill to address the humanitarian crisis at the border area the president has also requested critical funding to federal agencies attempting to fight wildfires throughout the west. while we are at it, if we were working like we should be in this congress, we could have votes on bipartisan bills to raise the minimum wage, provide long-term unemployment, assistance to job seekers -- we could reauthorize export import to support american small asiness manufacturers without cost to taxpayers. a bipartisan immigration reform bill in the senate to bring up a bipartisan commonsense background check law so that we could better protect our college campuses, schools, and communities from these acts of gun violence that have become too common in our country. but since the speaker declined our request to work on those things and stay in session, i am happy to make the most of this

opportunity in the district. my district covers the north the last i have spent few weeks in places like trinity county, working with firefighters on the fire lines. i have met with agricultural ,eaders, broadband advocates and the community health clinic and a lot more. of course, today there is the great opportunity to be with all of you to talk about another very critical priorities, which is in high-quality affordable education for everyone in america. you will not find a more passionate advocate for education and the middle class than leader pelosi. she is the architect of the middle class jumpstart agenda.

we have got that back-to-school energy here on the campus. leader pelosi has been in congress a long time. but she still manages to bring that back-to-school energy to urge out every single day and all of for work on behalf of the middle class. three months ago we had the honor of addressing the college of marin in the graduating class. there was a palpable sense of ride, accomplishment, and optimism that you get from graduates. if anybody wants to understand what education means to the lives of a person, come to a community college commencement and look around. you will get it instantly. struck mething that was their incredible personal stories. stories of hard work, grit, and determination.

in our famous alumni, like the great robin williams who we tragically lost last week, but the college can take equald should pride in the diverse group of graduates we met last month at the commencement. including the mother of three children working her way through school. this young mother, after several years of hard work and coming through to get hurt credentials will be entering uc berkeley to study sociology. there was a young man who i met the came to america from taiwan at age 16 and did not speak a word of english, did not have his parents with him, he worked so hard not only to learn a new language but to get good grades and lift himself up to education. not only did he make it through college, but he will be starting at san jose state in a few days. there were so many stories like

that. stories not only from the college of marin, but all over educationry about how transforms lives, families, and communities. we think about it, when i think about my own experience with what i thought was significant student that, although by today's standards it seems almost trivial -- we absolutely have to do much more. if we won a vibrant and healthy economy, if we want young people to keep reaching up and pursuing higher education and everything it can do for them and their communities and country and economy, then we have to do more to make sure graduates can enter the workforce without crippling levels of student debt. here we are fortunate to have some community partners who are working to help students gain access to college without the kind of debt. folks like the next generation of scholars, 10,000 degrees, and the marin foundation. but we have to do more.

specifically we need congress to do more. that is why i am so happy to be here to talk about our middle class jumpstart plan. about what wes would do to turn around the middle class, including education. it is a straightforward list of priorities that i think everyone should support. it includes tax breaks for jobs instead of shipping them overseas. raising the minimum wage in giving america a raise. focusing on supporting women and families through paycheck fairness. education to keep america number one is how we frame it. we specifically think there is a lot to do to improve the bookends of our k-12 education system. college affordability and one

end, early childhood education on the other. the leaderg with a program that will let folks refinance their college loans. but we are doing more than that, we are working to advance the president's call for universal early childhood education. we know the children that don't attend preschool are often behind that they don't attend kindergarten and many of them never catch up. for many families, child care is an important prerequisite. we have to include affordable childcare when we talk about our preschool initiatives. county, one marin of the most affluent in the united states, one out of every

four children does not attend preschool. only futurity to -- only 32% of latino children attend preschool. percent of economically disadvantaged children do not read at grade level here in murdering county. so, we have got a lot of work to do. andill take federal, state, local leadership to realize our broader vision of high-quality affordable education systems that work for everyone in the country. we have a terrific program today. i am looking forward to hearing from the other speakers. thank you for joining us. [applause] >> thank you, congressman. the work that you do helped to build the foundation. when a child does not go to pre-k compared to one that does, the one that goes "ahead of the

child doesn't, they never catch up. so, i am looking forward to seeing the bills signed and the work begun. but we are talking about college right now and the affordability of it. sometimes the lack of affordability. can be to keept a job, go to school, get good grades, eat well, and have a life. i would like to bring some into the stage who entered college of marin just this spring after attending city college in san francisco and the fashion institute of technology in new york city. she transferred in order to save money and continue her education without having to take time off from college. she is majoring in international studies and currently serves as a student ambassador. as an ambassador she focuses on

helping students ettore understand the true costs of college so that they can make informed decisions. [applause] >> good afternoon. whoops. good afternoon, anybody -- everybody. i am glad to share my stories so that other students will be more aware and can make better decisions about college. after high school i first attended the city college of san francisco and then transferred to the fashion institute of technology. not realizing how expensive it was going to be. that's when i learned the true cost of college. unfortunately, could not afford to help me. i wound up coming back to california not too long afterwards for my realized how much debt i had already accumulated.

trying to work and stabilize my financial situation , but at a much more reasonable .ost in a supportive community my advice to other students would be to do your homework on different college options. what you might qualify for in terms of financial aid and dig into in terms of scholarships. regret my college experience so far, but at the same time i wish i was not 22 years old and 52,000 dollars in debt. optionsing different can really pay off and you will be able to make more decisions that will make college less stressful and more enjoyable. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. debt.0 in

that spirals into the economy. if a student comes out of school with huge debt, they can't buy cars, they can buy furniture, they can't start their lives. we really have to work on this. i would like to bring to the stage young man who was originally from los angeles. he enrolled at the college of inin as a reentry student 2010. during his time here he was active in the latino student union and served as the associate student president and peer tutor. he spent much of his time advocating on behalf of students, working on projects that increase access to educational opportunities, with special attention to the unique needs of supporting student success academically and socially. he majored in electrical engineering and computer

sciences and transferred to uc berkeley this fall. [applause] >> congressman hoffman, special guest, i want to thank you for being here today and thank you for your continued service and receptiveness for american students and the american people. my story is one that strays from attrition the path. i did not go to college straight out of high school. i never felt like college was for me. for job rightok out of high school and wound up in an apprenticeship program where i learned the electrical trade. that component had a night class. andined the confidence stride to want to do more.

that robbie back to school. when i was looking for how i would go about this, i wanted to look for a place that had smaller classes. i needed something that made sense to me. community college. smaller classes. there was also affordability. that was a huge factor for me. i didn't have a lot of means to go to university straight out of college. i enjoyed every minute of it. but it was not easy. there were a lot of times when i had to think about the cost of education not stopping. housing,pplies, time to fix an

ac problem, something like that. i had to look for resources. one of them was the pell grant. it wasn't easy. fromory does not different a lot of other students. many are probably even worse. what made the difference for me was being able to come to a that i knew was affordable and have the resources i needed to get my education. many of our students face a lot of obstacles. others face even more, where they worry about their legal status and whether they will be deported. as another psychological effect that most students are not aware of but should be? ask that you continue to support legislation that not just opens the door but expands the door. for many students like myself, who never felt they had the

opportunity but are now reaching their dream school. thank you. [applause] >> inspirational voices. there is a struggle. the question is, how much does it have to be? he introduced me, so now i get to introduce the college of marin superintendent and president. he began his tenure here in 2010 in december. throughout a 25 year degree -- 25 year career he has been recognized for his leadership locally, regionally, and nationally. he came here following a successful five year stint in san jose where he championed a richly diverse arty. prior to this he held a variety of administrative positions.

from central washington university, a masters of education in student personnel administration from western washington university and a doctorate of education in educational leadership with emphasis on organizational development from seattle university. the 2006esented with by the achievement award alumni association. in may of 2007, central washington university dedicated to david wayne center for excellence in leadership. pretty awesome. [applause] aren't we fortunate. he has taken break -- great pride in shaping the center with his own sense of humility, integrity, and commitment to

service. [applause] >> thank you for that kind introduction. it occurs to me that at the beginning of the program i asked you to acknowledge the leadership of the school district and it occurs to me impact thelks that lives of our young students on this stage are our teachers. please stand so that we can technology great work you have done. [applause] thank you for being here today. i would like to provide some context for the conversation today by sharing information about college affordability, financial aid, and the college early childhood education teacher training program. with respect to financial aid, despite the relative wealth of the county, 50% of our 7500 students received financial aid.

the average annual award is just under $5,600, including a combination of waivers, grants, loans, and scholarship. on the bright side this year we anticipate awarding 100 and $50,000 in scholarships -- $150,000 in scholarships. the number it receiving financial aid increased in 2006 74% in 2011.r another troubling statistic provided by the national center pertains to the rising default rates for student loans. the center recently reported the career community college default rate at 21% nationwide. it is projected that this rate will increase in the coming years. one question to consider, community college student who

borrows less at these universities, why are they increasingly default thing at such higher rates? one of the many answers to this question is that these students have transferred from institutions where they have already accumulated a large amount of that. in essence, they are starting out with their heads underwater. -- to help put this in context, the average age of the students here is 34 and many have previously earned a bachelor's degree or higher. many students had no other choice but to borrow. initially they relied upon loans to supplement lost income and relied upon them further for living expenses while pursuing their education.

unfortunately for students there are no ways to get out from under student loan. unlike every other debt, it cannot be forgiven or included in a bankruptcy. the bigger issue is that the interest on the student loan continues to grow, whether student is in default or not. of debte overall amount accumulated by students is of a is also aern, significant factor in the problem. that's why they're placing increased emphasis on financial literacy. to earlyguard childhood education, for more than four decades california community colleges have been the primary higher education system responsible for early childhood teacher education preparation.

more than 10,000 student parents are serving in campus children's service centers. early childhood education centers are some of the most top and rolled disciplines. located on both of our campuses are california state preschools that provide subsidized state preschool to low income students -- families from around the county. the child study center classrooms include lab schools that provide model learning environment to demonstrate the best practices taught in our courses. the child study center provides the primary venue for students to complete a practicum required for an associates degree. i thank you for the opportunity to talk about about college

affordability and early childhood education. 19. [applause] >> it very hopeful to hear that there are one -- there is $150,000 in scholarship money for the students here. that's awesome. to introduceike you to the superintendent of the san rafael city schools, a highly diverse district in the san francisco bay area. during his career in public education he has worked as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, elementary school principal, middle school principal, an assistant superintendent. in 2005 he was named the sonoma county superintendent of the year during his tenure for the unified park school district. since his appointment in 2007 he has led district and community and ensure to create

equity-based initiative opportunities with support for every single student. school and all significant subgroups continue to report gains in student achievement in his district. under his tenure the district has received $1.5 million in annual grant funding to support closing the achievement gap gap. withs built partnerships local organizations and nonprofits. the district is engaged in a multi-year collaboration with national equity project to create an equity-based, culturally-proficient learning organization. tor?t >> thank you. i'm thementioned, superintendent of the city schools, just north of here.

we are actually two school districts. --re's the san raphael we currently operate 13 schools with nearly 7000 students. our student enrollment has consistently grown over the last several years. we have added 1200 of those students in the last five years, and we are projected to grow by another 3000 in the next several years. our district is the most diverse and all of the county. 60% of our students are latino. 60% of our students participate in the free and reduced lunch program. our students are english learners. for the purpose of the accountability plan, 65% of unduplicatedan count of either free and reduced lunch students, english learners, or foster youth.

here we are in the middle of the county, the wealthiest county in the nation, and it is hard to believe that the demographics of the school district jim moran are the demographics of san rafael city schools. the day after tomorrow, thursday, is the first day of school. about 50% of our entering class of kindergartners, 650 of them, will have been to preschool. what kind of preschool. we don't know if it was a quality preschool to read they have had some sort of experience. the others have not. for those children who have not attended preschool, they've been exposed to 350,000 less words than a child who attended preschool. they enter school with noticeable delays. many are unable to access the kindergarten curriculum, particularly that of the common core which is a college career

readiness program that begins in kindergarten. our staff is committed to doing whatever it takes to move these children forward. it is a herculean effort, but our staff arrives everyday with the intent of having the students that they serve the college and career ready. we also support families who are uncertain how to necessarily support their own children in getting onto that pathway for college. it really does begin early. it doesn't begin just in your ninth grade year at high school. we know from our experience is that these early childhood years pave the way for college. and next few days, i will go to every single kindergarten class, and i will ask the question, who was going to college? every student will raise their hand. they know it is something to

aspire to. they know it is something good that they should want to do. i the time they reach second grade, i will do a follow-up question and ask, what are you going to do after you finish college? i get answers like veterinarian, doctor. one girl told me her first choice was veterinarian, and her backup plan was to be a singer. i told her, keep going. regardless of the college or career pathways that our children shoes, entering kindergarten ready to learn sets the stage for college and career readiness. the importance of preschool cannot be understated. public school districts like san rafael city schools must work in partnership with our 0-5 partners, those who serve 0-5.ren from the ages of

they help us get children ready to start school. at the same time, we must engage the entire school community and helping to collaborate and work with us so that all students were more students arrive late -- ready to learn. we must create welcome school -- welcoming school environments so every family feels there is a place for them at that particular site and have them be partners in card -- in kindergarten all the way through forr children leaving college. 70% of our high school graduates aftercollege immediately graduation. about 60% of those go back for a second year. after a six-year time frame, it is almost 30% who graduate with a bachelor's degree. we don't necessarily know the reason, but we know that it is not the recession. we know that it is not tuition costs.

for san rafael city schools, that is a 10 year trend. we know we can do better. resourcesn all of our , both fiscal and human, we can come together as one community that guarantees that we develop an educated community. it is my district, the community college, the regional partners, the state and federal governments all coming together to ensure that we educate and graduate the next generation of college graduates. ouran rafael city schools, motto is, lifting student achievement, every student, every day, which we do. they are calling in right now. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you so much for setting

the bar really high for our youngest ones. let's get them through college. all four years and then beyond that. we willafter tomorrow, have a bunch of shiny pennies. what a joy. it is my honor to bring to the podium the democratic leader of the u.s. house of representatives for the 113th congress, congresswoman nancy pelosi. [applause] from 2007-2011, miss pelosi served as speaker of the house, the first woman to do so in american history. [applause] in october of 2013, she was inducted into the national women's hall of fame at a

ceremony in seneca falls, the birthplace of the american women's rights movement. for 27 years, leader pelosi has represented san francisco, the 12th district. she has led house democrats for a decade and previously served as the house democratic whip. i learned a lot about that on "house of cards." [laughter] she's tough, ok? under her leadership, the 111th congress was heralded as one of the most productive congresses in history by congressional scholar norman ornstein. ms. pelosi spearheaded the passage of historic health house,ce reform in the which establishes a patient's bill of rights and will provide insurance for tens of millions of americans while lowering costs. she also led the congress in passing the student aid and

fiscal responsibility act, which expands educational opportunities and reforms the financial aid system to save billions of taxpayer dollars. leader pelosi comes from a strong family tradition of public service out of baltimore, maryland. pelosi, married to paul and she is the mother of five and grandmother of nine. ladies and gentlemen, the leader of the house. [applause] >> thank you all very much. good afternoon. i'm very eager to hear your questions. it is an honor to be here with each and every one of you. certainly with my colleague jarret hoffman, thank you all very much for sending him to congress. congratulations on the recognition you have received and the great leadership you are providing.

what a thrill to be going to all of those kindergartens and talking to those children. how lovely. dana, good luck to you in everything you are pursuing. i thank you for being back with us today in marin county and sharing the private you taking your association with the county and the college. i am honored to be here. it was mentioned earlier that robin williams attended this school. i want to say thank you for contributing to his magic. when mozart, the 250th when they talked about mozart, they said, people would call him a genius, but a genius is someone that if we watched what they did, we could if wehow they do it

worked very hard and were very smart. mozart was not just a genius. he was a magician. he repeated examples of excellence. that is how i think of robin williams, more than a genius. a magician who could constantly be entrepreneurial with fresh and new ways. hims impossible to be like because he was the only one. thank you, college of marin, for contributing to his magic. thank you so much. in acknowledging your great member of congress, i want to also acknowledge his predecessor in congress, congresswoman mosley, who was a champion for education in the congress. she had opportunities to lead

the education committee to go to appropriations and other coveted positions. she said, i'm just not leaving the children. ,er legacy is a great one working with congressman george miller, the chairman of the committee from across the bay. she is so happy that jared huffman is following not necessarily in her footsteps, because he is making his own path, but for carrying the banner of public education in such a strong way. personally with his two children officially in the congress of the united states. everything to do with children and their future, whether it is the air they breathe, budget , in terms of establishing the priorities that are right for our country, who better than jared huffman with ?is values and understanding one of the leaders in congress already, only they're a matter

of months, not years, a recognized leader in preserving our planet, protecting our environment, and doing it all of it for our children's future. thank you. [applause] he went through a long list of pieces of legislation that if we were in session, we could pass. they have bipartisan support, immigration, reducing gun violence, the voting rights act -- he named a long list. i want to associate myself with the concern he has. these are bipartisan pieces of legislation that have the votes to pass which are not passing, and we have to take the message out to the public to say, let's have this drumbeat across america to say, let's be bipartisan and get the job done. president lincoln said, public sentiment is everything, and to this -- to the extent that you help us get this message about

education and jumpstarting the middle class out, it really helps. importanty it is so for us, jarrod and i, something we will report back to our colleagues on. it's about jobs and growth, make it in america, increase our manufacturing base by having tax credits to keep jobs here, and building the infrastructure in america. it is about the heart of the matter. and women succeed, america succeeds. hitting women equal pay for equal work, raising the minimum wage, paid sick leave. then the issue of quality, affordable childcare. children learning, parents earning. which segues into our education piece. it is part of the women's peace. it is about keeping america number one. it is part of lifetime learning.

let's establish a couple of things. when we have this debate with our colleagues, and he knows this firsthand, it is, no, we can't do that, it is going to increase our deficit. there is nothing that we can do in public policy that brings more money to the treasury and therefore reduces the deficit more than investing in public education. [applause] whether its earliest childhood education, k-12, higher education, postgrad, lifetime learning, which comes back to community colleges, all of it reduces the deficit. if somebody says, we have to cut our grants because we can't increase the amount because it is going to increase the deficit , or we cannot get rid of the highest rates for kids because that helps reduce the deficit, that is totally wrong. in fact, it is not smart.

what we want to be about education is smart. it is fundamental to our democracy. it is fundamental to our middle class and those who aspire to it. today, are doing investing in education to keep america number one -- it is not just about individuals, although that would be justification, helping people reach their aspirations, the veterinarian or singer. or both, who knows? or whether it is just about keeping our economy number one. we think an important part of , unleashingeasing the power of women in the economy with some of the things we talked about. early childhood education and the rest. you can't unleash the power of women unless we have education. that is the key to everything. i'm very proud of, and i accept

.he kind words of dana list -- we have helped students afford higher education with increasing pell grants. the fight we are having right now, it was $4000, frozen at that. we raised it to $5,500 with indexing to make it higher. right now, our colleagues want to freeze the amount for 10 years. that just doesn't make sense. i don't even call these issues. these are values debates. the education of the american people. assisting graduates to pay back their loans. this is essential. refinancing it at the lowest rate. we have done it before.

it expired since we lost majority. now we want to do that again. it's the g.i. bill for the 21st century, a returning veterans coming back and going to school, many of them in community colleges -- what i have learned as i visit community colleges across the the bridge,y are the threshold that takes people, whether it isn't occupations or to another institution of higher learning. these veterans in schools, some of them very young, some of them not so young, all of them are a .aluable asset to the classroom that is with the kids tell me who are not veterans. also, whether it is historically by colleges, minority institutions, hispanic, native american, and then as was , helping kidsier

themfor the best deal for is really important. transition tohem and play meant, and nobody does a better than our community colleges. this is central. i always say to people who are at this place with kids who are making it through high school, transitioning to community colleges, this is the most important job in the world and our country, that transition, to make sure kids get to that place . having spoken at commencements at committee colleges, people brag about their child graduating from here and there. these are really our success stories, these victories, some of them having to support their own families, their parents, and some of them having to support their own families if they are married with children. imagine the challenge that they have. imagine the optimism that they

have about the future. we are very excited about it. as has been indicated, this all begins at a young age. to five, it is really important. as we go around the country and have had events, we had the -- jobs,ass jumpstart education, women succeeding. this is our education week. i couldn't be more honored to be here. earlier on when we were asking women, what would help you the unleash your power in the workplace and have the balance between home and work, we would listen to people stories. one story that i will close with -- it goes to these young children -- a woman came, and she was going to tell her story. said,he got up, she

mother of five, english as ,econd language, you name it and she said, and now i'm confidence. i just got a promotion at work. i went to community college. i was nervous speaking in front of all of these women at a meeting such as this. she said, i said to my kids, will you listen to mommy's speech, because i'm nervous? she lined up her five kids, the youngest being four years old and had start. she gave the speech, and at the end, she said, does anybody have any comments? the four-year-old raised her hand and said, i just have one question -- who gave you permission to use my name in your speech? [laughter] you go, girl. [laughter] imagine the confidence, the self-esteem. it is about knowledge and vocabulary and socialization.

it is about so much that makes a person have the confidence to go forward. thank you all for what you do. how indebted we are to all of you and to the trustees and the rest for what you do. it's about the middle class, the backbone of our democracy. nothing supports democracy more than informed populations. thank you for your patriotism. [applause] thank you for your leadership, nancy pelosi. all of these years recognizing that investing in our students is what makes erica great. this is a great nation. questions.nch of they are not mine, for one.

i have retired from that phase of my life. thank you for your questions. >> i'm going to start with a and how much time do we have for this round? does someone want to let me know? jenny, are you here? thank you. the leader says we can go longer. we want to honor everyone's time, but when leader nancy pelosi says we can go longer, we are going longer. [applause] sharpen your pencils. we are going to start with a maj she asksa.,

how will you plan to help the families who do not qualify for public assistance with child care and realistic costs here in marion county? how can a single parent in school be expected to decide between food and a $300 book? who wants to take that? >> i will start at it. the reason i asserted myself in terms of the time is because i was a little late getting here. maybe we can put 10 minutes on the end. jumpstart hasr oneness to it. what we have to do is give everyone in america a raise. we have to increase the minimum wage. you may not make the minimum wage, but lifting the minimum wage -- we did it in the first 100 hours when we had the house, but now it is time to do it again. that was 2007. we must raise the minimum wage.

if you raise the minimum wage, you take like 4 million women off of food stamps. you lift maybe 6 million people out of poverty. that is still not a lot of money when we are talking about $10.10, but it is a big jump from where we are now. -- we haveto have several pieces of the early childhood education, because it is about children learning, parents earning. it is not just about the children watching tv or something. it is about them learning. look, let me tell you this other story. this woman was a bus tracker. thing, singleme mom, kids, this and this and this. she works herself up and got a job as a bus rider.

she said, not going to tell you my story. i'm going to tell you the story of what i see as a school bus driver. my bus pulls up to the curb, and i will see him on their crying, tears in her is -- in her eyes. she is going to put a sick child on the bus, because she has absolutely no choice. she doesn't make enough money to say, i will take a day off. she can't afford that, and if she does it too often, she doesn't have a job. she doesn't have one day of paid sick leave. there are millions of people in the country in this category, mostly women we are describing. not one day of paid sick leave. absolutely no way to pay for childcare. she has no option but to put a sick child on the bus, which isn't good for that child or anyone else on the bus. -- how just imagine could it be?

we talked about merrin county being this wealthy county and all. how could it be in the greatest country that ever existed on the face of the earth, with all the enlightenment that we have, that we would have a situation where mom has to put a sick child on the bus because she has absolutely no recourse? for that person's question, increase pay him -- pay. more money in the pocket of that mom. on childcare, we have several things. the president has universal pre-k, prekindergarten, but we have to go down lower. we have to have increased tax credits and the rest for families to take advantage, whether it is at the federal level or state level. -- what weagain have that gerrit worked on

at the state level -- california has led the way, and jerry did this in the state legislature -- is to have paid sick leave, especially maternity leave. california has led the way. i was there when we passed the bill on family medical leave. 100 million times america's families have taken advantage of it. for tens of millions of families, it was not paid. you just can't afford it. california has led the way on the paid aspect. it is the ten-year anniversary of that initiative and california. all of these things better that we knowething is the economic stability of the family, whether it is relating to health, wages, relating to

childcare. whatever it is, lift these families up so that this woman can unleash her power in the workplace. , whensn't just a title women succeed, america succeeds. it is a good title. it tests very favorably in focus groups. but it is an absolute fact -- when women succeed, america succeeds. his is about that woman, her family, and the greatness of our country. that has to country hold our head down and say, put the sick child on the bus. that's the trickle-down that we have in mind for you. [applause] >> the college has a variety of programs that are intentionally focused on students who are low income, first-generation, and two programs i can think of that programve assisted this

-- encourage the student to stop by student services, and anybody can help you to get one of those two programs. the single stock core nature in the back row, she may be able to help you. also, in the idea, he is our hero in congress. jared huffman is really leading the way on that. >> the next question i have -- she mentioned she has $15,000 in and is the age of 22 working to pay it off. my first question is, are you worried about that, increasing the debt, and the crescent from from the question audience, student loans, what can you do to help former students whose student loans have faln