On May 3, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Education Reform held a hearing on H.R. 2210, the School Readiness Act of 2003, which would reauthorize Head Start. The panel heard from experts in early childhood education on how to close the readiness gap between Head Start graduates and their more affluent counterparts, who are entering kindergarten better prepared to learn.
Sponsored by Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE), H.R. 2210 would reauthorize Head Start for five years and includes a $202 million increase, which if enacted, would bring total funding for the program to $6.87 billion. The bill aims to strengthen Head Start’s academic standards by emphasizing cognitive development; requires no new testing; provides additional assistance for underachieving Head Start programs; requires Head Start teachers to have at least an associate’s degree; maintains the existing health and nutrition components of the program; keeps the program at the Department of Health and Human Services; and establishes a new demonstration program to allow states to coordinate Head Start programs with their own early childhood education programs.
Rep. Castle acknowledged the “astounding success” of the Head Start program, but noted that there is room for improvement. He pointed to studies showing that while students who attend Head Start programs enter school more prepared than children with similar backgrounds who do not participate in Head Start, these students still begin kindergarten far below the national norms for school preparedness.
“H.R. 2210 sends a clear signal that every child, regardless of economic status, should have the best possible chance to succeed,” said Rep. Castle.
Amy Wilkins of the Trust for Early Education testified that one of the key steps toward ensuring school readiness for Head Start students is to encourage and require more qualified and educated instructors.
“Adult literacy is closely related to post-secondary education the National Survey of Adult Literacy finds that adults with only associate’s degrees are twice as likely as are those with bachelor’s degrees to have literacy skills below the ‘competent level,’” said Ms. Wilkins. “The more educated the teacher, the more literate he or she is likely to be.”
Under H.R. 2210, by 2008, 50 percent of all Head Start teachers must have a bachelor’s degree, and after 2006, no new teachers will be hired without at least an associate’s degree. Ms. Wilkins praised the education requirements, but noted that they “represent modest progress compared to the teacher education requirements of many state-funded pre-kindergarten programs.” Ms.Wilkins testified that 24 of the 40 states with state-funded pre-kindergarten programs already require that all pre-K teachers have at least a bachelor’s degree.
“It is entirely reasonable for the federal government to demand higher levels of formal education for Head Start teachers. However, as we demand more education from them, we must compensate them at higher levels,” Ms. Wilkins stated. “If we are to attract and retain well-educated staff to the Head Start program, we have to pay them competitive wages.”
Witnesses addressed a provision in H.R. 2210 that establishes a new demonstration program that would allow states to voluntarily apply for the option to coordinate Head Start programs with their own early childhood education programs. Under the proposal, states applying for this program would be required to maintain or expand funding for early childhood education, and the program would be limited to states that have an established, pre-existing preschool system.
Dr. Robert Lawrence of Georgia’s Head Start State Collaboration Program told the subcommittee that his state would welcome the opportunity to participate in the proposed state demonstration program. He touted the success of Georgia’s Head Start program, and pointed to the collaboration between the state’s Office of School Readiness and the Georgia Head Start program as an example of a positive federal-state relationship. He said that his state offers a “historical perspective on the coordination of federal and state funds for early care and education programs that can serve as a model for other states.”
However, Helga Lemke of the Sonoma County, California Community Action Partnership voiced her organization’s concern about the demonstration program. She warned the subcommittee that “a transfer of the program an optional transfer, which some states might apply for and others might not, will result in a mishmash of programs, some operated by the states, some by the federal government, diluted resources, inconsistent standards and compromised training and technical assistance.” She added, “We are aware of no compelling rationale for such a dramatic dismantling of Head Start as we know it.”
