Dave Harden is a Democrat running for Congress in Maryland's 1st District. Support Dave's campaign here. 

Friend,

It’s Dave here. I’m about to ask you to donate $25 to our campaign, but let me tell you why.

In Salisbury this week, I met a nice couple with two young kids. Dad’s a union electrician. He’s got steady work and good pay. Mom stays at home with the youngest because they simply can’t afford the childcare costs. They’re doing OK.

But they could be doing better. If not for costly child care, Mom could go back to work and they could save some money – in case times get tough, or there’s a medical emergency, or they need a bigger home, or for college for the kids. Like many young families they can pay their bills, but they can’t start building wealth.

And that’s what the American Families Plan wants to change. It provides two years of preschool for children starting at age three. It’s not a handout, it’s a reality. It recognizes that most working families need two incomes if they have any hope of saving for their future, and that children who get preschool education do better academically when they start school. It understands that in order for the United States and its workforce to compete in the high-tech and environmentally sustainable economies of tomorrow, public K-12 education isn’t enough. Our children and our country need more.

Families like my friends in Salisbury are the heart and soul of America, and they are our future. We need to invest in them and offer them a way forward. Because the world is changing. And we need to secure the financial futures of today’s families and prepare a new generation of workers if we are going to keep up with those changes.

Doing “OK” isn’t good enough anymore. We need to do better.

We’re building a strong grassroots movement of folks who want us to do better.

I’ll make sure I always put you first. Please chip in anything you’re able to. I’ll leave the link for you: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2105-q2-dh

Thank you for everything,

Dave