News Release
Congressman George Miller
7th District, Calif. Senior Democrat, Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Member, Committee on Resources. www.house.gov/georgemiller/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Daniel Weiss
Thursday, July 10, 2003 202/225-2095
MILLER TO RELEASE HEAD START
REPORT IN SAN PABLO
Report shows local impact of controversial Bush plan
WASHINGTON ?– Congressman George Miller (D-Martinez) will release a new report TOMORROW, Friday, July 11, 2002, detailing the impact of President Bush?’s Head Start proposal on California?’s 7th congressional district.
Next week, the U.S. House is scheduled to vote on the controversial plan that will significantly weaken the quality of Head Start services. Debate has been brewing for several months on this issue (see http://edworkforce.house.gov/democrats/headstartinfo.html for more information). Congressman Miller, whose Education and Workforce Committee has jurisdiction over this issue, is leading the fight in Congress to halt this dangerous proposal. Opposition to the plan has grown across the country by editorial writers, mayors, experts and dozens of organizations.
WHO:
Congressman George Miller (D-Martinez)
Dr. Pat Stroh, California Head Start Association
Head Start Parents and Children
WHAT:
Head Start Center Visit and Release of New report on local impact of President?’s Head Start proposal
WHERE:
International Marketplace Head Start Center
1905 San Pablo Avenue
San Pablo, CA 94806 (510) 374-3864 (ph)
WHEN: FRIDAY, July 11, 2003, 1pm PST
For a printable version of Congressman Miller's report go to - http://ca-headstart.org/MillerReport.html
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM ?– MINORITY STAFF
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION
JULY 2003
PROPOSED OVERHAUL OF HEAD START COULD AFFECT THOUSANDS
OF CHILDREN IN CALIFORNIA?’S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
PREPARED FOR REP. GEORGE MILLER
PROPOSED OVERHAUL OF HEAD START COULD AFFECT THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN IN CALIFORNIA?’S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For almost forty years, the Head Start program has assisted low-income preschool
children and their families, establishing a comprehensive early-learning
environment and assisting children and families with a variety of social and
medical needs. The program has provided services to over 20 million children
since its inception in 1965. Currently, over 900,000 children are enrolled in
almost 2,600 local Head Start programs.
Although Head Start has a well-documented record of improving the health and
education of participating children, the Bush Administration and Republicans in
Congress are proposing legislative changes that Head Start advocates call a
?“radical departure?” that would ?“gravely endanger?” the program. In fact, the
House of Representatives will soon vote on legislation that would allow some
states to turn the program into a ?“block grant.?”
At the request of Rep. George Miller, this report analyzes the impact of these
potential changes on low-income children in the 7th Congressional District in
California. The analysis finds:
?•Thousands of children in the 7th Congressional District attend Head
Start programs. There are 2,706 children enrolled in 48 Head Start programs
in Rep. Miller?’s district. One-third of these children (32%) are living in
families with incomes below the federal poverty line.
?•Head Start?’s comprehensive medical and social services provide
important benefits to these children. In the 7th Congressional District, 96%
of Head Start children have received basic primary health care, and 75% have
a continuous, accessible source of dental care. The program has also provided
mental health services to almost 150 children in the district and has provided
assistance to almost 250 children with disabilities.
?•Children in Head Start in the 7th Congressional District are more likely
to receive necessary medical services than other low-income children.
The children enrolled in Head Start in the district are more than twice as likely
as other low-income children to receive basic medical care and almost four
times as likely to receive dental care.
?•Proposed changes to Head Start could have a profound impact. Proposals
before Congress, supported by the Bush Administration, could turn Head Start
into a ?“block grant?” in at least eight states. If applied to California, these
changes could result in a reduction or elimination of the comprehensive
services that are provided to children in Head Start in the 7th Congressional
District.
CHANGES TO HEAD START PROPOSED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND REPUBLICANS IN
CONGRESS
Despite the success of the program, Congress is currently debating legislation
based on a proposal by the Bush Administration that would radically overhaul the
Head Start program. The proposal was passed by the House Committee on
Education and the Workforce on June 19, 2003, on a party-line vote.5 The full
House is expected to debate this proposal in early July.
The legislation would turn the Head Start program, which is now a federal
program with numerous guidelines and requirements that local programs must
meet, into a state ?“block grant?” in certain states. Under the legislation, up to eight
states would be granted federal funding for the program, but would no longer be
subject to federal requirements, such as those that require programs to provide a
high level of quality comprehensive educational, medical, dental, and other
services. The legislation would also allow states to divert funds from the Head
Start program to other early childhood programs in the state. According to
analysts, the eight-state pilot program is ?“a precursor to transforming the entire
program into block grants.?” 6
OBJECTIVE AND METHODOLOGY
This report was requested by Rep. Miller, who represents the 7th Congressional
District, which is located in Contra Costa and Solano Counties. Rep. Miller
requested this report in order to determine the potential impacts of the proposed
overhaul of the Head Start program.
To conduct this analysis, the Special Investigations Division obtained and
analyzed the Head Start ?“Program Information Report?” database. Every year,
each Head Start program must fill out a detailed survey on the characteristics of
the program and the children within it. This survey includes detailed questions on
enrollment, attendance, staffing levels, demographics, and medical, dental, and
mental health conditions of children in the Head Start program.
After completion, survey forms are sent to the Head Start central office and
compiled into the Program Information Report database. The Special
Investigations Division obtained this database, which contains detailed records
from approximately 2,500 Head Start programs with approximately 900,000
children in 50 states. Using this database, the Special Investigations Division
______________________________________________________________
5 The legislation, H.R. 2210, was passed by the Committee by a vote of 27?–20, with 27
Republicans in favor and 20 Democrats against.
6 House Panel Approves Revisions for Heath Start, Washington Post (June 13, 2003).
3
obtained information on the characteristics of children and families that
participate in Head Start programs in the 7th Congressional District.
FINDINGS
Thousands of Children Attend Head Start Programs in the 7th
Congressional District
Data from the Head Start program indicate that there are 2,706 children enrolled
in Head Start programs in the 7th Congressional District. There are 48 Head Start
centers in the district, with a total of 82 classrooms. Thirty-two percent of
children in the program ?— 854 children ?— live in families with incomes that are
below the federal poverty line. Forty-two percent of these children (1,139
children) are Hispanic, 34% (909 children) are black, and 10% (261 children) are
Hispanic. Two-thirds of families with children in the program are single-parent
families.
Children in the Head Start Program in the 7th Congressional
District Receive Comprehensive Health Services
The Head Start program guidelines require individual programs to ensure that
enrolled children receive the services necessary to prepare them for learning. As
a result, children in the Head Start program receive significant assistance in
obtaining basic medical care and screening and other services. For example,
while many low-income families are eligible for health programs such as
Medicaid, the Head Start program provides additional help for parents in
navigating the program, scheduling appointments, and obtaining services such as
immunizations for their children. As a result, children in Head Start receive
services that they would not otherwise receive if they were not in the program.
Medical and Dental Care
The data indicate that in the 7th Congressional District, 2,592 children in Head
Start (96%) have received appropriate preventive and primary health care,
including all appropriate tests and physical examinations. Medical problems,
such as asthma, vision problems, or anemia, were found in 392 of these children,
and 99% of these children received or are receiving treatment. Similarly, 2,656
children in the Head Start program in the district (98%) have received all
necessary immunizations.
Head Start also provides significant assistance to children in obtaining dental care.
In total, 2,017 children in Head Start in the district (75%) have a continuous,
accessible source of dental care, and 80% have completed a dental exam.
4
These coverage levels significantly exceed coverage levels for other low-income
children. National data show that only 46% of low-income children between the
ages of three and five have had a single medical screening, and only 22% of these
low-income children have completed a dental exam. As these data indicate,
children in Head Start in Rep. Miller?’s district are more than twice as likely to
receive basic medical care and almost four times as likely to receive basic dental
care compared to other low-income children in California.
Mental Health Services
Dozens of children in the Head Start program in the 7th Congressional District
receive mental health assessments, and if necessary, treatment, through the Head
Start programs. According to Head Start data, mental health professionals were
consulted by Head Start teachers in order to assist 138 children in 2002. In 133 of
these cases, the mental health professional provided individual mental health
assessments, resulting in dozens of families receiving individual help or outside
referrals to assist with problems.
Disability Assessment and Treatment
Children in the Head Start program also receive screening for identified
disabilities, often resulting in early intervention to help solve problems.
According to data from the Head Start program, 245 children in the Head Start
program in the 7th Congressional District were determined to have a disability.
All of these children were able to receive special education or other necessary
services to treat their disability. Speech and language impairment is the most
common disability found in the 7th Congressional District. Sixty-four percent of
all children with disabilities suffered from speech or language impairment.
Assistance to Families
Children in the Head Start program often receive significant benefits due to
services provided to their families, increasing the chances that at-risk children
receive necessary support at home. In 2002, 392 families in the 7th
Congressional District worked together with Head Start and family services
advocates to develop Family Partnership Agreements, spelling out specific goals,
responsibilities, and strategies to ensure the health and education of their children.
Block Granting Head Start Would Jeopardize These Services
Proposals supported by the Bush Administration and currently being debated in
Congress would turn the Head Start program into a block grant in a number of
states. Under the legislation, up to eight states would be allowed to accept federal
funding for the program, but would no longer be subject to federal requirements,
such as those that require programs to provide comprehensive medical, dental,
and other services.
5
Advocates of the Head Start program have called these proposals a ?“radical
departure?” that would ?“gravely endanger the success?” of children in the
program.7 These advocates are concerned that states that accept the block grant
proposal will eliminate or curtail the required comprehensive services.
According to the National Head Start Association, the Administration proposal
?“does nothing to ensure that states will be required to or be capable of providing
these services to Head Start-eligible children, especially in a time of serious
budget deficits.?”8 The end result, according to the National Head Start
Association, would be:
a hodgepodge of inconsistent and untested state government
programs that either will serve fewer children than Head Start does
now or will provide less comprehensive services to those children
who are served.9
A recent survey of state preschool programs confirmed some of these concerns. It
found that when states ran their own preschool programs they frequently failed to
provide the same level of comprehensive services as those required by the Head
Start program. For example, the survey found that of the eight comprehensive
services required by the Head Start program, not one was required in every state
program. Almost 60% of states did not require dental health referrals; over 40%
did not require mental health referrals. 10
If the proposed changes to the Head Start program are put into effect in
California, children in the 7th Congressional District could be similarly impacted.
The children and their families will lose the federal guarantee that provides
medical and dental care, mental health assessments, and other services. Under a
?“block grant?” approach, California could reduce or even eliminate these costly
services without impairing its eligibility for federal funds. This could jeopardize
the provision of these services for the 2,706 children enrolled in Head Start
programs in the 7th Congressional District.
______________________________________________________________
7 National Head Start Association, supra note 1. The National Head Start Association is a
not-for-profit organization representing children and teachers in the Head Start program.
8 National Head Start Association, Dismantling Head Start: The Case for Saving
America?’s Most Successful Early Childhood Development Program (Apr. 16, 2003).
9 Id.
10 W.S. Gilliam and C.H. Ripple, What Can be Learned From State-Funded Pre-Kindergarten
Initiatives? A Data-Based Approach to the Head Start Devolution Debate,
in E. Zigler and S.J. Styfco (eds.), The Head Start Debates (Friendly and Otherwise) (in
press).
6
CONCLUSION
The Head Start program provides services to 2,706 children in the 7th
Congressional District. Head Start not only provides a high quality early-learning
environment for these children, but it also ensures that they receive
comprehensive medical, dental, and mental health services. Proposals before
Congress, supported by the Bush Administration, would turn Head Start into a
?“block grant?” in some states, potentially causing the reduction or elimination of
the comprehensive services that are provided to children in Head Start.