Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Congressman Miller to Release Head Start Report

Jul 14, 2003

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.