Aug 8, 2003 By Daniel V. Lembo 4 min read

This year’s reauthorization of Head Start, our nation’s premiere early childhood education program, is one of the most contentious issues currently being deliberated in Congress. Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed reauthorization legislation by a vote of 217-216, illustrating how controversial the debate has become. The bill calls for – among other things – an eight state-demonstration project that amounts to a block grant. Shifting responsibility of Head Start away from local communities, that understand local needs best, will allow states to bypass Head Start performance standards. These quality benchmarks represent the best thinking among early childhood program experts about what produces good outcomes for kids.

In 2002, the Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Care and Education commissioned a quality study that compared 372 Head Start, child care, and preschool programs. Results of this evaluation were unwavering – Head Start quality was significantly higher than all other forms of early care and education in Pennsylvania.

The researchers attributed the strength of the program to the federal performance standards and monitoring system. These standards outline rigorous guidelines for teacher preparation, supervision, curriculum, child assessment, health, nutrition, mental health, services to children with disabilities, parent involvement and much more. When Head Start children enter school, they’re not only ready to learn – they’re ready to thrive. Letting states establish their own standards for programs funded with Head Start dollars would dismantle the federal performance standards and allow states to offer lower intensity services that are not as effective.

Under Head Start’s current structure, accountability is maintained through a rigorous monitoring process that ensures every program provides high quality, comprehensive services. During an on-site review, a team of qualified reviewers led by a federal employee assesses whether or not the Head Start program is meeting the performance standards and other applicable regulations. Asking states to hold themselves accountable would be a mistake.

The Children’s Defense Fund reports that “21 states with pre-kindergarten initiatives either do not require any monitoring or only require written reports without on-site visits.” If anything, the House proposal creates an environment conducive to less monitoring, weaker accountability safeguards and outright waste of taxpayer dollars. According to the Center for Law and Social Policy, the accountability provisions of the House bill are “inadequate” and fail to provide for adequate ongoing monitoring and accountability for state expenditures, participation and results. Don’t we want more from our tax dollars?

Can Head Start improve? Of course. For nearly 40 years, this program has evolved to incorporate best practices and respond to up-to-date research. This year’s reauthorization offers Congress another opportunity to make improvements such as increasing the number of teachers with advanced degrees. In 1998, Congress mandated that 50 percent of all Head Start teachers have an associate’s degree and allocated the funds for all Head Start programs to improve the training, qualifications and salaries of classroom teachers. Five years later, the goal of 50 percent of teachers having an associate’s degree has not just been met – it’s been exceeded. The Head Start community embraces the notion that 50 percent of Head Start teachers have a bachelor’s degree as outlined in the recent House bill. However, the proposal fails to include the resources to finance these professional development requirements. Improving teacher quality is something all of us can support – another un-funded mandate is something we must not support.

As the reauthorization debate continues I am optimistic that real improvements to the program such as creating a loan forgiveness initiative to attract quality teachers and ensuring local flexibility remains a hallmark of the program, will remain open for consideration.

Daniel V. Lembo of Harrisburg is the interim executive director of the Pennsylvania Head Start Association.