Fight Crime: Invest in Kids - Head Start Letter

HEAD START LETTER

February 13, 2007

Dear Senator:

The over 3,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS know from the front lines - and the research - that investments in Head Start are critical to our nation's public safety. Head Start helps kids get a good start in life so that they grow up to become responsible citizens instead of criminals. But the maximum crime reduction impacts - and many other benefits of Head Start - can only occur when programs are comprehensive and of the highest quality.

We have reviewed S. 556, the reauthorization bill for Head Start that will be considered by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee tomorrow morning. We are pleased - and grateful to Senators Kennedy, Enzi, Dodd and Alexander - that the bill:

includes a quality improvement provision for 50% of each states' classroom lead teachers to have bachelor's degrees by a specified date;

includes a provision allowing Head Start programs the flexibility to serve zero-to-three-year-olds if the program meets the Early Head Start quality standards; and

increases the Early Head Start set-aside to at least 20% by 2012.

In addition, we are pleased that the bill:

requires Head Start agencies to utilize high-quality research-based developmental screening tools to identify children with early emotional and behavioral problems so kids can receive the treatment they need to prevent later delinquency;
improves fiscal and program accountability among grantees,
mandates enhanced collaboration between local Head Start grantees and other early education providers;
does not endanger current quality standards through any state grants, state waivers, or state application authority;
provides for increased state-level coordination;
enhances outreach to at-risk kids, including to those in homeless families, migrant and seasonal farm-working families, and families with limited English proficient children, as well as outreach in the context of under-enrollment provisions;
strengthens research-based school readiness elements of Head Start (of course, it is critical to maintain and strengthen all eight of the domains of Head Start's outcomes framework);
strengthens parent education and home visiting provisions;
authorizes training/technical assistance activities (including the 2% set-aside) and provides other quality improvement funds (including for salaries/scholarships which are critical to attracting and retaining better-educated individuals who would otherwise flock to higher-paying opportunities, including K-12 schools);
fosters the development of an integrated data collection system to provide complete information about children served by the programs and the services offered; and
suspends the National Reporting System, pending the results of a new National Academy of Sciences study regarding appropriate, comprehensive and scientifically valid and reliable child assessments.

Unfortunately, the funding authorization in the bill includes only modest "real dollar" increases. A substantially increased authorization - and related appropriation - will be essential to enabling the Head Start program nationwide: (1) to meet the new bachelor's degree teacher goal by providing enhanced compensation and scholarships, (2) to serve more of the eligible - but as yet unserved - preschool-aged children in poverty, and (3) to serve significantly more infants and toddlers through Early Head Start. It would require an increase of $750 million in Fiscal Year 2008 - beyond the FY07 Final Continuing Resolution level - to simply restore funding for services to children to the FY02 level. We urge you to address this issue when the bill goes to the Senate floor.

We appreciate the efforts of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to strengthen Head Start through this reauthorization legislation. We look forward to continuing to work with Chairmen Kennedy and Dodd and the other members of the Committee to even further strengthen the bill as it moves forward to the full Senate. The result will be generations of disadvantaged children progressing toward school success and graduation rather than later arrest and incarceration.

Sincerely,

David S. Kass
President

Miriam A. Rollin
Vice President