Congress makes wise investment with Head Start
Sunday, November 18, 2007 4:20 AM PST
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Congress gave final approval this past week to a five-year reauthorization bill for Head Start, the nation's flagship early childhood education program. It took four long years of sometimes heated partisan debate to produce this legislation.
Several times, it seemed Head Start might not survive reauthorization intact. At one point, serious consideration was given to turning Head Start into a block-grant program and moving it from Health and Human Services to the Department of Education -- changes that would likely shrink the program's budgets and narrow its mission.
But, in the end, Congress got it right. The reauthorization bill now awaiting President Bush's signature will strengthen the 42-year-old education, nutrition and health program. It will increase Head Start's current $6.9 billion per year budget by nearly $500 million. That will enable the program to increase enrollment, including the addition of some 8,000 toddlers to the Early Head Start program for children under age 3.
The reauthorization raises the eligibility ceiling from 100 percent of the poverty level for a family of four ($20,650) to 130 percent (26,845), with priority given to the neediest children. It also promotes participation of homeless and migrant children and children who are disabled or learning English. And, finally, the reauthorization gives the program some breathing room on a costly mandate requiring tens of thousands more Head Start teachers to obtain associate's and bachelor's degrees. It pushes back the deadline for that requirement two years, to 2013.
This legislation is welcome news for Head Start programs here and around the nation. Locally, it should help Lower Columbia College's Head Start and Early Childhood Education and Assistance program reduce a waiting list that numbers nearly 180 families.
That's good news for the community. Head Start can have lasting impact on children's lives. One comprehensive, 25-year study found that Head Start children were more likely to finish high school, state out of trouble and own a home than other children of low-income families who hadn't participated in the program. Accordingly, researchers have calculated that, for every dollar invested in Head Start, taxpayers stand to save an estimated $7 in social costs that might otherwise accrue.
Head Start is one of the most successful government education/social programs. It remains a very good investment.
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