HEAD START BEING LEFT BEHIND
As students in West Virginia begin another school year, Head Starta program that has successfully prepared low income pre-school children to succeed once they enter the public school systemis in danger of being dismantled.
Countless studies have shown that children learn better when they are in good physical and mental health. The Head Start program improves early childhood development for over 900,000 low-income children every day by looking after their medical, dental, and mental health. Head Start also introduces children to literacy skills, teaches them about good nutrition
and healthy lifestyles, and encourages parents to be actively involved in their child's overall development.
Unfortunately, the Bush Administration is pushing a plan to completely overhaul Head Start by shifting the full responsibility for the program to the states, even though the current structure has proven to be so successful in preparing poor children for success in school. In fact, a December 1999 Presidential Management Council report gave Head Start a higher customer satisfaction rating than any other government agency.
In late July the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill that begins overhauling Head Start through a trial program in eight states - a trial program that will ultimately reduce federal funding while shifting the burden to already cash-strapped states.
The weak economy of the past three years has resulted in record budget shortfalls in all 50 states, forcing them to make cuts in critical services. Now more than ever, state governments cannot afford to take on the full financial burden of early childhood education and development programs.
Rather than join the GOP effort to put Head Start at risk of withering on the vine, I am supporting a bill called the Head Start Readiness and Coordination Act. This Senate bill is designed instead to improve Head Start by providing additional resources to cover more children, improving coordination at the state level, and increasing the quality and wages of Head Start teachers.
The Democratic plan seeks to increase professional standards for Head Start teachers, and, unlike the Republican bill, it provides the funding necessary to make sure that these higher standards can be achieved. Unlike the measure passed by the House, our Senate bill would strengthen Head Start's ability to achieve its goals, rather than weaken it.
The Bush Head Start proposal abandons a 38-year-old commitment by the federal government to America's poorest children. It strips basic health protections and educational opportunities from millions of children who would not have access to them otherwise. In the end, it will deny them a Head Start, and leave them behind.
A child's early years are the time to nurture good growth and development, and prevent minor health problems from becoming the kind of major health concerns that can hinder a child's ability to learn. America has great expectations for our youngest generations. Every parent in West Virginia, regardless of income, wants our toddlers to have a fair chance to grow into healthy, well-adjusted and successful students.
I believe we should build on the successes of Head Start, not take it apart.