Many Worry as Head Start Heads to Congressional Reauthorization
By Heidi Taylor
WASHINGTON—Dressed in their finest, children representing Washington, D.C.’s local Head Start program sang to a packed room in the Russell Senate Office Building at the Capitol, “1, 2, 3…all my friends are here with me,” in both English and Spanish. The audience, filled with proud parents and several members of Congress, gave a standing ovation at the end of the performance.
The eclectic group of children, teachers, parents and lawmakers met this week for a rally organized by the National Head Start Association (NHSA) in order to discuss the future of Head Start, a government program designed to help low-income children and their families through the important stages of early childhood development. The program is facing congressional reauthorization this year.
Many Head Start supporters worry that the program will be changed for the worse under several Bush administration proposals, which include transferring the Head Start program from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Department of Education.
Budget issues also have many in the Head Start community on edge as the House begins to review the Senate omnibus appropriations bill that encompasses federal programs not yet approved for the remainder of fiscal year 2003, and Bush prepares his fiscal 2004 budget to be sent to Congress Monday.
Participants in Wednesday’s rally said they favor keeping Head Start in HHS; avoiding block granting, which would make the program state funded rather than federally funded; fully funding the program; and ensuring local flexibility within the program.
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), who has been called one of Head Start’s biggest supporters in Washington, was warmly received by the audience Wednesday as he mentioned that he has a 16-month-old daughter, and joked that now he can receive the child rate plus AARP discounts when he goes out, and that just when she’s getting teeth and hair, “I’m losing mine.”
But jokes aside, Dodd praised the Head Start program and its efforts to help low-income children and families in early development, saying, “Head Start does work. Head Start does make a difference.” He stressed however, that Head Start is effective because it is a comprehensive program and not one that focuses just on literacy and numeracy. The fear for many is that if transferred into the Department of Education, Head Start would become merely a literacy program.
Caroline Haines, the chief operating officer at the local Child Development Programs in Gloucester, a private non-profit group that serves 500 Cape Ann children, 172 of them enrolled in Head Start, echoed Dodd’s remark. “[The Department of] Education doesn’t have a history of supporting comprehensive services,” like health and dental care, social services, nutrition analysis, and language skills, among other services her agency offers, she said in a phone interview.
“We really believe in a holistic view of the child,” she said, explaining that children and their families and all the things that affect their lives must be considered as a total package when working for the benefit of the child.
Michael McGrady, department director at NHSA, said the theme of the rally in Washington this week was that Head Start works as it is. “There’s no reason to move it,” he said in a phone interview.
He also said he would like to see the program adequately funded in the future, because at the present time, only 60 percent of eligible children in America are being served, according to NHSA numbers.
The future right now looks bleak to McGrady. Although Bush made a commitment last year that no child should be left behind, McGrady said that Bush’s recent proposal of a $133 million increase for the program “is not even enough to keep up with inflation.” Programs would have to struggle in the future to service even the children already enrolled, not to mention all the children who are eligible, he said.
Dodd, whose recent amendment to increase funding for the program by $200 million did not pass in the Senate, recognizes the financial woes Head Start faces.
“While I was not able to add new funds for Head Start, a modified version of my amendment was adopted which exempted the program from any across-the-board cuts in the bill,” he said. “That is the new environment under which we operate in the Senate,” he added, referring to the recent change from Democratic to Republican majority.
If the amendment passes in the House, where it is now being reviewed, Head Start would be exempted from the 2.9 percent cuts that many other programs now face in this troubled economy. Dodd said that without this exemption, “some 22,000 children would be cut from the program.”
Rep. John Tierney (D-Salem) emphasized that this program needs adequate funding, saying that it has proven effective but that it is not able to reach enough children. “A good workforce and good citizens start with kids who are going into school ready, willing and able to learn,” he said.
Tierney added that his main concern is keeping this program out of the Education Department, saying that “the nutrition aspect has been vital.” He said he thinks most Republicans have mixed feelings about the prospect of a transfer, but that the president could insist his party members fall in line.
In Gloucester, Haines said she was relieved about Dodd’s possible exemption for Head Start, but she added that childcare services did not get exempted from cuts. And in an environment where there are lengthy lines for full-day childcare and not enough day care providers to fill the need, the cuts are directly affecting the children.
Haines said that due to licensing difficulties and a shortage of day care providers, slots for childcare are being underused even when badly needed.
Haines said that the Republican agenda really focuses on literacy. Three assessments a year already are mandated, but under new proposals, national standardized assessments would be required for the 3 to 5 year olds who participate in Head Start, she said.
And there is a good possibility that it would be required that outside parties do the assessments, out of fear that Head Start teachers may skew the results. Haines said of additional assessments that the government is proposing, “More work, but no resources.”
“This is about children and families,” at the end of the day, Haines said. “It would be a sad day if that were changed.”
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, The Gloucester Daily News, and The Salem News in Massachusetts.
