Thirteen years of teaching 3- and 4-year-olds in Carbon County landed Sarah Arndt a seat near the First Lady Tuesday night, when Rep. Ryan Mackenzie invited the Head Start educator to Washington as his guest for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

Arndt, a lead teacher at PathStone Carbon County Head Start in Lehighton, has spent more than a decade working with young children and their families. Mackenzie invited her after visiting her center weeks earlier to discuss Head Start funding — a visit, he said, that reminded him why early childhood education has been a cornerstone of his legislative agenda.

“Everything we know about early childhood education shows that those years from zero to three are some of the most formative years,” Mackenzie said. “You are changing the trajectory.”

Arndt said she was stunned when her boss pulled her out of the classroom to deliver the news of the invitation.

“My jaw kind of dropped to the floor,” she said. “I was just in such shock, because I’ve never experienced anything like that. I was very grateful and very honored that he had selected me.”

She arrived in Washington a day early, spending time touring the city, walking past the White House and visiting monuments before getting ready for the evening’s address. Mackenzie took her to a reception where she mingled with other members of Congress before escorting her to her seat in the gallery.

“I was sitting right near the First Lady and her family, with a lot of special guests,” Arndt said. “I just took it all in. It was beautiful.”

The history of the setting, she said, was something she did not anticipate feeling so deeply.

“It is something I’ll take with me forever,” Arndt said.

For Arndt, the invitation carried meaning beyond the spectacle of the evening. She said being chosen felt like a chance to represent not only herself but the teachers and staff she works alongside every day.

“I was able to be a small glimpse — to showcase all the teachers and colleagues I work with, who do what they do every day and love what they do, which makes a difference in the kids and in the world,” she said.

She spoke about the depth of the relationships she builds with families in her program. Children spend six to seven hours a day in her classroom, and over time, she said, those bonds become like family.

“When you gain that trust with that child and that family, it goes such a long way,” Arndt said. “It’s truly a relationship, a trust, a commitment to them.”

She recalled one boy who entered her classroom nonverbal, with developmental delays. By the end of the year, he was talking, socializing with other children and able to follow structure and routine. She still sees his mother in the community, about five years later.

“That is one family that will always stay with me,” Arndt said.

Mackenzie said seeing that kind of work firsthand drives his push for federal investment in programs like Head Start. He described himself as the leading champion in the House for expanding the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,200, a change he said was made permanent in last year’s reconciliation bill and received a mention from Trump during the address. He also recently chaired a congressional hearing on expanding paid family leave.

Child care affordability, he said, presents a structural challenge the private market alone cannot solve.

“If a business wants to pay more and attract top talent to get those teachers, that puts the burden on families who can’t afford it,” Mackenzie said. “The only way you can make sure there are spots available for young children is to have the government help provide funding for these types of programs.”

Mackenzie noted that Arndt is the second consecutive Carbon County resident he has brought to the State of the Union. Last year’s guest was Mike Wargo, a Gold Star parent.

Arndt said she hopes the experience reflects something broader about the value of the work being done in classrooms across the country.

“If you truly care about what you do, day in and day out, you’re always able to make a change,” she said. “People do see the good.”