The Improving Head Start Act reauthorizes the Head Start program through 2012. Through federal grants to local agencies, schools and organizations, Head Start provides early education and child development services to more than 900,000 children from low-income families. The bill authorizes $450 million in new funding for 2008, expanding access to 10,000 more children and increasing eligibility to 130 percent of the federal poverty line. Provisions to enhance Head Start’s efficiency and accountability include improved monitoring of program sites, new fiscal controls, and a requirement that local programs that fail to comply with Head Start standards must re-apply for their grants and compete to get them. The bill also strengthens the program’s focus on preparing students for kindergarten and elementary school and increases degree requirements for Head Start teachers, providing new funds to increase teacher salaries and offer staff training opportunities. The differences between the House and Senate bills include specific goals for teacher education and certification levels and governance issues.
The Middle-Class Position:
The Middle Class Supports.A growing body of research suggests that quality preschool programs have a lifelong positive impact: children are more prepared for elementary school and have more developed social skills, are less likely to need special education classes, and down the road are more likely to graduate from high school and be employed and less likely to need public assistance or go to jail. These effects are even more dramatic for children from poor and low-income families – the very population Head Start has served since 1965. In addition to the educational benefits, Head Start also improves child health by providing medical screenings, immunizations, and dental services. According to one study, the public sees a return of more than seven dollars for every dollar spent on Head Start, making this program an extremely cost-effective public investment. Other research suggests that, with the resources to hire more qualified teachers, these benefits could be even greater. The increased resources, broadened eligibility and tougher accountability mechanisms in this legislation will strengthen the program, both ensuring that taxpayer dollars are wisely spent and leveling the playing field for hundreds of thousands of poor children who have a greater chance of someday attaining a middle-class standard of living when they begin school prepared to learn.
From the Experts:
“The Committee for Economic Development attracts business leaders who work on long-term policy issues that will keep our economy strong in the decades ahead… We have focused on early childhood because of the strong link that has been shown - by Nobel Laureate Dr. James Heckman and others – between success in the workforce and proven programs for young children… As we look to our workforce needs in the coming century, it is clear that our country’s economic competitiveness is inextricably linked to our investments in the early years of our children’s lives.”-James Kolb, President, the Committee on Economic Development (March 7, 2007)
“Investing in high-quality pre-K isn’t only good for children and society, it’s also great for government budgets. Governments can realize huge savings in areas such as remedial education, law enforcement, and child welfare, and will experience increases in tax revenues. Add to that the benefits of less crime and a more highly skilled workforce that is more likely to be employed and better paid – and that makes pre-K spending one of the smartest moves governments can make.”–Robert G. Lynch, professor and chair of the Department of Economics, Washington College (May 3, 2007)
“Law enforcement has one simple message for Congress: to achieve Head Start’s maximum benefits in cutting crime, Congress must provide enough money so that every eligible child can get Head Start and have a better shot at graduating from high school,”–Charles Hynes, Brooklyn District Attorney (June 21, 2007)
Beyond this Bill:
While the benefits of early childhood education are the most pronounced for children growing up in low-income families, research suggests that children from all backgrounds can benefit from quality preschool programs. Bills such as the Prepare All Kids Act that would assist states in making voluntary preschool programs available and affordable represent a logical next step. At the same time, continuing to increase the quality of Head Start programs will require additional resources to hire and train more highly-qualified teachers.
Percentage increase in high school graduation rates for low-income children who participated in a high quality preschool program compared to those that did not: 44
Percentage increase in employment at age 40 for those who participated in the preschool program as children: 22
Percentage decrease in the rate of arrest for violent crimes of those who participated in the preschool program: 33
Percentage of four-year-olds enrolled in Head Start in 2006: 10.5
Approximate proportion of four-year-olds not served by any public preschool program in 2006: 1 in 3
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