On June 19, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start Act, a bill to reauthorize the Head Start Act (P.L. 105-285), after adopting a substitute amendment by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA). The House passed the legislation on May 2 (see The Source , 5/4/07). The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved their version of the bill, the Head Start for School Readiness Act (S. 556), on February 14, (see The Source , 2/16/07). The bill is headed to a House-Senate conference committee, which will reconcile differences in the two measures.
S. 556 would provide $7.3 billion in FY2008, $7.5 billion in FY2009, and $7.9 billion in FY2010; expand eligibility for Head Start programs to children in families with incomes up to 130 percent of the federal poverty line; double the set-aside for the Early Head Start program from 10 percent to 20 percent over five years; and establish new goals for Head Start teachers, requiring all teachers to have an associate’s degree, and at least half to earn a bachelor’s degree, in the next five years. In addition, one percent of the total funds would be provided to grantees to be used for ongoing literacy training and technical assistance; and $100 million would be dedicated to a new competitive grant program to implement state early care and education plans.
“We began this process four years ago. Today, our bipartisan efforts have resulted in the strengthening of a 42-year old program that has been a lifeline of support for millions of low-income children preparing for school and for life,” said Sen. Kennedy. He continued, “Since the War on Poverty, Head Start has delivered the assistance needed to enable disadvantaged children to arrive at school, ready to learn…Years of evaluation have demonstrated that Head Start works. A federal survey found that Head Start children make both academic and social gains under the program, and that these gains continue when children enter kindergarten.” He added, “Over the years, we’ve also learned more about how Head Start can be improved. This reauthorization applies that knowledge to make modifications in the program, and it will enable Head Start to be even more effective in the years ahead.”
