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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2003

News Release

NEA To Congress: Protect Success of Head Start  

Washington, D.C. -- The National Education Association (NEA) has asked Congress to protect Head Start, the nation's premier early childhood learning program, and reject plans that would undercut its effectiveness. The proposal now before Congress would undermine Head Start's standards, put comprehensive services and funding at risk, allow discrimination against caring, talented workers, and leave young children behind before they even begin school.
 
Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has served more than 18.5 low-income million children and their families. The program currently serves nearly 1 million children. Research over the past four decades consistently shows that Head Start improves children's vocabulary, writing and letter recognition, social behavior, and other skills that prepare them for the rigors of school.
 
In a letter to the House Education and the Workforce Committee, NEA warned that the plan would tempt states to gamble with the future of millions of young people by diverting funds to other projects. The proposal before the committee would also allow states to avoid quality and accountability standards, reduce Head Start's emphasis on health care and teacher quality, and diminish parents' participation in Head Start programs. NEA also opposed the bill's plan to allow religious discrimination by employers.

"Today, there's a lot of talk about tougher standards, but it appears that this bill could lower standards for states entrusted with federal dollars - and young children's futures," said Reg Weaver, president of NEA, which represents 2.7 million educators. "Head Start cannot maintain its strong track record if states are allowed to bypass high performance standards through block grants. Young children who do not get a good Head Start will indeed find themselves left behind."
 
NEA urges Congress to resist the distraction of block grants and instead focus on proposals that enhance school readiness and teacher quality, promote collaboration at local, state and federal levels, and increase the identification and inclusion of eligible youngsters.

Currently, Head Start receives only enough funding to enroll 60 percent of eligible children. Quality preschool, studies show, improves the chances of students doing better in early grades, closing the achievement gap and graduating from high school.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.