Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Debate on Head Start Funding Held Off

Oct 10, 2002

Debate on Head Start Funding Held Off Until After Elections

Funding for Head Start
The Labor/HHS appropriations bill, which includes Head Start funding,
is tied up in Congress and will not likely be dealt with until after the
election. With the debate over Iraq intensifying, the need for many
members to get home to campaign, and the bottlenecking of many domestic
programs by several conservative members of Congress, funding for Head
Start is on hold. To ensure that programs continue to operate and that
there is not another government shutdown, Congress has passed several
short term continuing resolutions and will probably do so until they are
called back for a lame duck session or perhaps even into the next year.
An adjournment date could be as early as the end of the week or as late
as next week.

In our last alert, we mentioned that the president?’s budget proposal
for Head Start and the budget resolution supported by the House of
Representatives was an increase of only $130 million ?— not enough to keep
pace with inflation. At the end of July the Senate Appropriations
Committee reported out an increase of $332 million, which if it became law
would allow an additional 17,000 children to participate in the program.
Because of our success so far in the Senate, our attention has been
primarily focused on the House and it will continue to be until they at
least support the $332 million number supported by the Senate. There have
been ongoing meetings convened by Rep. Roy Blount (R-Missouri) to end
the stalemate between several conservatives bent on holding down spending
and a group of moderates led by Rep. Michael Castle (R-Delaware) hoping
to at least level funding many domestic programs. Whether this
stalemate will continue is anyone?’s guess, but it is important that members
preparing to bolt home into their districts continue to hear your voice.
Please call your member of Congress and tell them to support a $1
billion increase for Head Start, but at least the $332 million number
reported out by the Senate. To reach your member of Congress, contact the
Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Child Care and Welfare Reform
It looks increasingly likely that Congress will also not take up the
reauthorizations of the child care development block grant or TANF until
at least next year. There is talk that when members do take up TANF
reauthorization they may agree on a one-year or three-year reauthorization
rather than five years as had been planned. NHSA will be closely
monitoring the situation and will work hard to make sure that any compromises
that may result include: additional funding for child care, maintain
the same work hours, allow legal immigrants to receive TANF benefits, and
increase opportunities for education and training.

September Leadership Institute
From September 25 through Friday September 27, NHSA hosted the
September Leadership Institute. During the institute, participants heard from
several terrific panelists on wide variety of topics. Wendell Primus,
from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, spoke about the growing
increase in child poverty and the budget deficit. He specifically
highlighted the fact that the president?’s $1.3 trillion tax cut, which
primarily went to people with incomes above $1 million, has severely
hampered the government?’s ability to respond to the current recession. Helen
Blank, of the Children?’s Defense Fund, discussed the current situation
with the Child Care Development Block Grant and mentioned a national
report they produced demonstrating the systematic cut backs in state
budgets for child care and early learning initiatives. Other panelists
included Judy Sherman from the American Dental Association, Mark Greenberg
from the Center for Law and Social Policy, Rachael Abbey from Zero to
Three, Debbie Stein from the National Association of Child Advocates,
Mary Ellen Hayes, NHSA board member, and Manda Lopez from the National
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association. Congressman Steny Hoyer
(D-Maryland) spoke at our legislative luncheon in favor of fully funding
Head Start.

Participants also took part in sessions with the Hauser Group, NHSA?’s
public relations firm, and received legal guidance from Feldesman,
Tucker Leifer, Fidell & Bank LLP law firm, which offers the Head Start
Leagal Advisory Service and with whom we publish the Head Start Legal
Advisor newsletter. A tribute and reception for Gregg Powell, Ph.D., NHSA?’s
outgoing Director of Research and Evaluation capped off the
festivities. The Board of Directors issued a challenge to members of the National
Head Start Association to boycott the November STEP training. The
boycott is intended to send a message to the administration that local Head
Start programs, not the federal government, should determine what
trainings are needed. The letter states that despite the administration?’s
strong-arm tactics to get people to attend the training, the law makes it
clear that participation in any training is voluntary. The letter
calling for the boycott has been sent to all Head Start programs. Finally,
the board approved NHSA?’s reauthorization agenda for 2003.

Panel Hearing on the Status of America?’s Children
NHSA co-sponsored a hearing October 2 that was convened by
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Texas) on the status of America?’s
children. NHSA President and CEO Sarah Greene presented on the panel, ?“The
Impact of Environments on the Well-Being of Our Children?” where she
discussed a special Head Start initiative called Free to Grow: Head Start
Partnerships to Promote Substance Free Communities. The all-day hearing
covered the broad spectrum of advocacy organizations including the
Girls Scouts of America, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, and Corporate Voices
for America?’s Children. Several members of Congress spoke including
Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and
Senators Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), Barbara Boxer (D-California), and
Hillary Clinton (D-New York). Sen. Landrieu spoke about the need for new
legislation to strengthen the foster care system, Sen. Boxer spoke about
the need for legislation dealing with violence against children, and Sen.
Clinton believes that not enough is done to protect children from
environmental hazards such as superfund sights (more than1,100 schools are
less than a mile a way from such sights). Rep. Millender-McDonald plans
on introducing legislation based on the testimony presented at this
hearing, and NHSA plans to be heavily involved in any final product.

Delegation from the Netherlands Meets with NHSA
On October 8, a 20-member delegation from the Netherlands representing
higher education, government, and the non-profit and private sectors
visited Higher Horizons Head Start in Bailey?’s Crossroads, Virginia.
Although they had met with NHSA before, the delegation wanted to see for
themselves the cutting-edge programming Head Start provides. As part of
their experience, they met with both NHSA and program staff to learn how
we work together. They hope to find ways to improve the child care
system in their country by replicating the many services Head Start
provides to children and families. NHSA has been fortunate to work with many
delegations over the years and will continue to do so to expand Head
Start at home and internationally as the recognized leader in early
childhood development.