Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
My name is Patricia Montoya. Thank you for the invitation to be here
today. It is truly an honor for me to appear before you as President
Clinton's nominee to be Commissioner of the Administration on
Children, Youth, and Families at the Department of Health and
Human Services. I also want to express my gratitude to Senators
Domenici and Bingaman for their support of my nomination.
If confirmed, I will have the special honor of directing vital programs
that relate to child care, foster care, adoption, child development,
early childhood education, and youth development. I look forward
to working with you, Mr. Chairman, and other members of the
committee on issues that relate, in particular, to child care, foster care
and adoption. At this time, I also would like to thank the
Committee for its leadership and support in the passage of the
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. If confirmed, I look
forward to working with you on the continued implementation of this
legislation.
As you know, Mr. Chairman, the Administration for Children, Youth,
and Families (ACYF) plays a critical role in improving the lives of
Americans. ACYF administers the major Federal programs
whose missions are to assist vulnerable children and youth. These
programs provide financial assistance to states and to a wide range of
community organizations for such integral programs as Head
Start, child care, foster care and adoption assistance and support for
runaway and homeless youth. The Administration for Children,
Youth and Families also supports research and demonstration
activities, and undertakes training, technical assistance, and
information dissemination. However, most significantly, the
Administration for Children, Youth and Families brings together a
range of programs that invest early in children's lives to promote their
health and well being later on. A primary focus of ACYF is the
protection and healthy development of children and families.
If confirmed, I will bring to ACYF a broad range of experience that I
know has prepared me for this challenge and this wonderful
opportunity. I believe that my background reflects my lifelong
commitment to children's health, social service needs and the needs of
families. I am a Registered Nurse who began my career working with
children in the area of pediatrics, and then went on to working with
children and families in the area of school health. These were some of
the most rewarding days of my career, while at the same time some of
my most challenging.
While I was given the opportunity to get to know the best and
brightest of our young people as they moved through their schooling,
I also got to know many of the issues and challenges that these young
people and their families faced every day, often with few or no
resources.
While working in the community I came to understand the impact and
significance that public policy has on people's lives and the
importance of being involved. It was at this time in my career that I
committed myself to being an advocate for those who had no one
speaking out for them. Therefore, I welcome the opportunity and the
challenge to be a spokesperson for the Administration on issues that
are vital to our children and families.
My experience as a nurse has been varied, from staff nursing, to
school health, working in home health, to running a private
not-for-profit agency, and running a health care center. I have worked
as staff both in the private and public sector, as well as a manager, and
this has given me a helpful perspective from which to draw. It has
provided me the opportunity to work with people in different age
groups. Most importantly, however, it has provided me the
opportunity to work with families and individuals comprehensively,
looking at the total person, the total family, and their needs.
In 1994, I was appointed as the Regional Director for Health and
Human Services in Dallas. Being in this position has provided me
with the opportunity to gain the federal perspective and get to know
many of the programs in ACYF which I will oversee. That insight
will assist me tremendously as I undertake the role of Commissioner,
if confirmed.
ACYF's mission is central to the Administration's agenda for
investing in people to improve their lives. The President, Secretary
Shalala, and Assistant Secretary Golden are committed to increasing
the number of children including infants and toddlers, participating in
Head Start, while ensuring the quality of Head Start centers. If
confirmed, I look forward to leading Head Start toward the
fulfillment of those important goals.
The Administration is equally committed to moving children more
quickly from foster care to permanent homes. If confirmed, I look
forward to leading the Administration's efforts to double the
number of adoptions of vulnerable children as directed by the
President.
Finally, this Administration is committed to improving the
availability and quality of child care. If confirmed, I look forward to
working with this committee and others to expand the availability and
quality of child care for working parents so that no one will have to
make a choice between a child and a job.
Since this position is all about children and families, Mr. Chairman, I
would be remiss if I did not say if confirmed that I would dedicate my
tenure to the honor of my own parents, Ramona and Max Montoya,
who have passed on but who have made me who I am.
Mr. Chairman, if confirmed, I look forward to working closely with
you, the members of this Committee, and the Congress to make a
difference for children and families in America. Thank you very
much. I would be pleased to answer any questions that you may have.
