The experiences of early childhood serve as the foundation for a child’s life. Whether at home or in early childhood centers, a child’s formative experiences shape a sense of self, establish a view of the world, and set the stage for a lifetime of learning. Ideally, those experiences help develop a whole person who is loving, capable, confident, inquisitive, happy, and responsible.

All religious and independent schools have a responsibility to provide their students with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to succeed in life and to contribute to the common good. Schools employ a variety of means to demonstrate, both to the families and communities that support them and to the public at large, that they live up to that responsibility. Many schools use accreditation to review and evaluate all aspects of their institutions, to identify successes as well as areas for improvement, and to remain accountable to parents and the public.

The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) is a broad-based national organization representing private schools. In its vision statement, CAPE recognizes that America’s children have greater opportunities because of access to an array of high-quality schools.  CAPE’s mission is to preserve and promote educational pluralism so that parents have a choice in the schooling of their children.  In keeping with its vision and mission, CAPE offers the following principles to guide school choice legislation at the state and federal levels.

To restore funding for Title V, Part A, of the No Child Left Behind Act to its fiscal 2004 level of $296 million.

CAPE believes that all educational institutions have a responsibility to provide their students with the knowledge, skills, values, ethics, and social commitment they will need to succeed, to be good citizens, and to be positive forces in a dynamically changing society and global environment.

To secure equitable services for parentally placed private school students in the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Every elementary and secondary school in the United States is facing a threat that could undermine the quality education of all children. The U. S. Department of Education projects that the nation's schools will need 3 million new teachers by 2008. The New York Times noted (7 January 2000) that the shortage of qualified teachers has led to a competition for teachers that creates problems for all schools and drives up the costs of education across the country. Public and private schools work together to educate the country's children. The challenge of the growing teacher shortage threatens the whole education community. The welfare of all our children calls for federal policies to attract new teachers into the profession in a way that benefits all students.

To provide parents with financial assistance to allow them to exercise fully their right to choose their child's school—religious, private, or public.