Don’t undermine successful preschool program, council urges 

Head Start’s comprehensive child development programs for children from birth to age 5, pregnant women and their families received a strong endorsement from CSBA in discussions at the White House and the Department of Education, and CSBA representatives shared strategies and viewpoints with National Head Start Association leaders during day two of the CSBA Federal Issues Council’s visit to Washington, D.C.

President Bush’s proposed budget for 2006-07 would effectively cut off more than 2,000 preschool-age children in California from Head Start services, part of a projected enrollment decline of more than 19,000 children nationally.

Meanwhile, “marathon” congressional deliberations continue over the reauthorization of Head Start. The House of Representatives narrowly approved a reauthorization measure last fall that included a controversial provision allowing faith-based organizations to discriminate on religious grounds in hiring their staffs; a bid to add a similar policy to the Senate reauthorization bill, S. 1107, has delayed action in that chamber.

Thomaysa Glover, a member of CSBA’s Board of Directors from the Sacramento-area San Juan Unified School District, encouraged NHSA’s efforts to protect the local Head Start programs’ parent policy councils from proposals to reduce them to advisory bodies.

“We’re fighting tooth and nail on this issue, and we appreciate school board support,” NHSA President and CEO Sarah Greene assured Glover.

Other issues in the Head Start reauthorization and budget debates include fair and measurable assessment of preschoolers’ learning; stricter teacher and aide credential requirements that are not supported by federal funding; and Head Start services for migrant families.