Proposed legislation hurts Head Start - Preschool Programs - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2003

The national movement to change the Federal preschool program would do more harm than good, according to James Elicker, a professor of child development at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and former Head Start teacher. "Head Start is not broken, so why make radical and risky changes in its funding and administration?," he asks.

"There is substantial evidence that Head Start improves the health, school readiness, and long-term educational outcomes of low income children, as well as provides needed support and education for their parents. The program has extremely high customer satisfaction ratings, too."

The proposed legislation calls for transferring the funding and administration of Head Start from the Federal government to individual states using a block grant formula. "That would be a mistake at this time because administrative costs will undoubtedly increase; states will use the Federal funds to replace funds lost in state budget cuts and the net result will be a decrease in ... quality and a reduction in the total number of poor children" that are served by this extremely vital initiative.

Elicker fears that if the states inherit control of the program, it is likely the current comprehensive focus for Head Start will be lost. This could eliminate critical services, such as early education that teaches children social and academic skills, health and dental screenings and treatment, mental health and social services, and parent-education programs.

"Also, it is my understanding that the proposed legislation does not strongly mandate states to follow the current national Head Start program performance standards," which "have been the keystone of Head Start's quality and improvements over the past 37 years. If the performance standards are loosened, or if states are able to set their own standards according to changing political whims, Head Start as a high-quality national program for low-income children will soon be dismantled."