Montgomery, Alabama

Thank you, and good afternoon.

I never taught early education.

God bless all those who work with the littlest learners!

But many years ago, I was a reading specialist for high school students. Even though they worked hard and they wanted to learn, many of my students could barely read a sentence. They faced enormous obstacles—all because they didn’t have a strong foundation to build upon.

If we want kids to succeed in school and their careers—if we want to set them on a lifelong path of learning—we need to invest in them from the very beginning.

Throughout Joe’s administration, he has pushed for free, high-quality preschool across America. And he and the Department of Defense have gotten it done for military students.

We’re here today to celebrate something big.

Military kids at Maxwell Air Force Base, and at 80 military schools across the country and abroad, now have access to full-day pre-kindergarten.

Thank you, Colonel Toliver, for the warm welcome to Maxwell.

It’s great to be here with Mayor Reed and Mrs. Reed. Mayor Reed, I appreciate your leadership in Montgomery.

To Charlene Austin and Secretary Austin: thank you for your service to the nation. It was wonderful to tour the school with you and see students learning.

Providing universal pre-k is among the defining issues of our time.

And what’s happening at Maxwell is part of the blueprint for making high-quality preschool available to every three- and four-year old in America.

Now, one of the ways we lift up students is by supporting educators, making sure they have the resources they need and that their voices are heard.

I know that Maxwell is only about a month into this new pre-k program. And implementing anything new takes hard work. That’s why we have to come together to get this right.

I created my White House initiative, Joining Forces, to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors.

Over the years, I’ve sat down with hundreds of men and women in uniform—and their loved ones—to listen.

I brought their stories back to Joe. And he got to work. He’s had a great partner in Secretary Austin.

Over the last four years, the Biden Administration has lowered the cost of child care for military families, expanded parental leave, and made it easier for military spouses to keep their jobs when they move.

Making life a little easier for military families is not only the right thing to do. It’s a national security imperative.

To the military families here today: Joe and I know that your commitment to this country never wavers. And you deserve that same devotion from your Commander-in-Chief.

The President and I stand with you—today and for all the days ahead.

The late Frances Hesselbein was a trailblazing leader. For many years, she was the CEO of the Girl Scouts, opening up new education opportunities to young girls.

What you may not know, is she advised many U.S. military officers on what it meant to be a leader.

And she was one of Secretary Austin’s mentors.

They might have looked like an odd pair—Frances was even shorter than I am standing next to Secretary Austin.

It’s one of the things I admire so much about the Secretary—that willingness to seek out fresh perspectives and bring a new depth to everything he does.

Frances loved to say: “To serve is to live.” Well, Secretary Austin, over your four-decade career in the Army and your time as Secretary of Defense, you have lived the truth in those words many times over.

Joe and I are grateful for the way you—and Charlene—always take care of people.

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