Senator Dodd Reacts to Head Start

REACTION TO BUSH ADMINISTRATION PROPOSAL ON HEAD START
Statement of Senator Chris Dodd

February 26, 2003

I'm all for enhancing Head Start's literacy efforts. But the administration's proposal to move Head Start from the Department of HHS to the Department of Education is nothing more than a bureaucratic shell game. Literacy development can be enhanced by improving coordination between the Department of HHS and the Department of Education without transferring Head Start to a new agency and block granting it. And let's be clear. This isn't about strengthening Head Start - it's about diluting services to poor children.

Head Start works because it takes a comprehensive approach to early childhood development - promoting the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of children, an approach unparalleled by state pre-k initiatives. But sadly, once again we're seeing this administration offer lip service to an issue while slashing critically important resources needed to get the job done. In fact, the Bush FY2004 budget barely includes enough funds to cover Head Start for inflation - which is especially troubling since Head Start serves barely 60 percent of eligible children and only 3 percent of infants and toddlers. If the administration really wants to raise the bar for early learning, then the President should allocate additional resources to fully fund Head Start and new resources to expand state pre-k efforts - not raid Head Start funds in an effort to reach the 92 percent of incoming kindergarten children who have not participated in Head Start.

I absolutely support strengthening literacy efforts in Head Start, but we need to do so in a way that recognizes the challenges Head Start children bring to the program, not defund programs that serve our neediest children, those most likely to struggle once in school.