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CAAs Say Head Start Works, but Bush's Proposed Changes Would Limit Its Effectiveness

By Mark Cabana for MASSCAP

Head Start programs have changed lives and changed families. Helping children to live and learn while nurturing parents from welfare to work, Head Start has helped to strengthen one community and one family at a time. Mandated to assist the "neediest of the needy," Head Start programs have worked for decades to create positive learning environments and foster healthy lifestyles for children as well as parents; almost every Community Action Agency in Massachusetts have Head Start programs.

Head Start programs nationwide currently face challenges that could drastically change their ability to serve communities and alter their proven comprehensive child-to-family approach to learning.

Since 1965 Head Start has worked to assist challenged pre-school children. The program is designed to help these children develop their mental and physical health while also preparing them with the essential skills that they need for school readiness in kindergarten and beyond. Head Start programs teach children the fundamentals of language, literacy and numbers while also educating them on proper nutrition and basic socialization skills. Furthermore, Head Start children receive necessary medical care in the form of general doctor visits, dental checkups and basic eye care.

Head Start children are chosen from a number of “high risk” families. Many of these families struggle with issues ranging from domestic violence to substance abuse to poverty. Head Start works to educate children and parents with the ultimate goal of family stabilization.

Head Start provides families with a variety of programs. At most Head Start centers parents are offered early intervention programs where they are required to attend ESL, GED or computer training classes. They are also given employment counseling and training opportunities.

“These programs are extremely valuable,” says Ann D’Errico director of the Greater Lawrence Head Start Program. “We create family plans with goals and requirements that parents must fulfill.”

“Ninety percent of our students come from single parent families and of those parents 80% cannot speak English,” she adds. “We try to educate children and parents at the same time.”

Head Start works to build friendships and trust with a child's family to assist them in acquiring necessary social services. This provides a gateway for families that wouldn’t know where else to turn for living essentials.

"Many parents are often anxious about going to a clinic or getting therapy or asking for food,” says Kathy Atherton, Tri-Cap Head Start employee in Malden. “But they will talk to us because we have established a trust with them and their children. We can refer them to a food pantry or set them up with support groups or even provide basic needs with things like high chairs."

Additionally, Head Start programs offer guidance for families that need substance abuse help, domestic violence relief or employment counseling.

“Even if we cannot assist families directly we can act as a stepping stone for various social service community referrals,” says Val Luther, Director of the Parent Child Development at the Franklin Community Action Corporation in Greenfield.

“Head Start programs are focused on providing comprehensive care to offer needy pre-school aged children a real chance at success both in and out of the classroom,” she adds. "Head Start addresses the family system of community action in a very holistic approach."

Head Start is in high demand from those it serves. Children and families are referred or recruited from various human service centers, homeless shelters and places of worship. Most Head Start programs are filled to capacity and have long waiting lists for those that want to enter.

“We have 553 children in our schools and over 400 on the waiting list,” says Ann D’Errico. “We are looking to teach skills to families at very high risk.”

“There are requirements that each of these families must fulfill,” says Ann D’Errico. “They must participate in schooling or other Head Start assisted programs. If we are not teaching them skills then they are looking at welfare for a lifetime.”

Head Start has proven success for students as well as parents. Head Start students are more likely to finish high school, go to college and less likely to repeat grades or end up in jail, reports the National Head Start Association. They also report that Head Start parents are more likely to spend time with their children reading or assisting classroom teachers.

“The growth of children in Head Start is phenomenal,” says Ann D’Errico. “When first enrolled about 25% of our students are identified as special needs students. However, with the full health services and the early intervention programs about 50% of those students are no longer special needs students when they enroll in kindergarten.”

Parents of Head Start students often rave about the program. Kathy Atherton’s son was a timid four-year old when he enrolled in Head Start.

"How he evolved as a child in Head Start was amazing,” she says. “At Head Start he was fed two meals a day, learned basic classroom structure, learned to play nice, learned responsibility and also learned right from wrong."

"Through Head Start he went from shy to outgoing and learned to really love school,” says Kathy. “Before Head Start he had a speech problem and often had difficulty getting along with other children. But I feel that the nurturing structure of Head Start really stayed with him and he is now doing well in school."

Head Start not only effected Kathy's son's life but also effected her life as well. A few years ago Kathy was released from her job and quickly found herself in a tough situation. Her salary dropped from $500 a week to being dependent on welfare. Making matters worse, her father became very ill while she and her husband decided to separate for a time. Seeking help, Kathy turned to family services at Head Start.

"Head Start changed my whole world around," she says. “There was so much support and so many support groups that were able to help." Kathy took teacher-training courses at the Malden center and was later employed as a Head Start educator at the site.

"I love my job now,” she says. “I love working with kids. There is no other job that I'd rather be doing in the world."

This type of Head Start comprehensive family assistance may soon be a thing of the past. Head Start is being challenged through new legislation and changes in funding. Presently, Head Start is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which stresses the development of a child's wellbeing in terms of nutrition and family stability. Funding for Head Start programs is federal to local: resources go directly to local community action agencies and other community based organizations from the federal government.

President Bush, however, would like to make Head Start a function of the Department of Education and block grant its funds to states. Many fear that this move could drastically change the composition of Head Start programs and remove many of the social components that make the program so valuable.

"These proposals make me very scared," says Val Luther. "We serve a needy population. The children and parents that come to us require greater assistance than other families with pre-school students. Many of the children that come to us are not ready to learn basic academic skills."

Head Start educators worry that these changes will not provide enough funding to address the social needs to their students.

"A child from a home with domestic violence or substance abuse will often have their development hurt,” says Val Luther. “These things need to be dealt with first. The child will need support of a family help person or nutrition specialist. You cannot provide basic academic learning to a child with these sorts of issues."

Others worry that the President's proposals may ultimately dissolve the Head Start program.

"If Head Start is moved to the Department of Education all social services would be lost," says Kathy Atherton. "Students would lose the close connection they have with their teachers and Head Start would probably fold."

Currently most Head Start programs strive for a very low student to teacher ratio. Most programs work for an average of about six students to one teacher. This affords a great deal of individual attention to students in the class that many believe is essential to help needy students learn. This also means that these parents will have greater access to other adults that are willing to help them and that can give them guidance for social services.

"Without these support services you are really creating an opportunity for failure and not for success," says Val Luther. "If the funding for these programs is block granted to the states, these states will not allow additional funds for support services. State pre-school programs are already struggling with funding and moving Head Start to the Department of Education or block granting it does nothing to me that suggests these children will receive the help that they need."

Another major issue surrounding Head Start is that of accountability. The President's proposal would implement a national standardized assessment of all four-year-olds in Head Start.

“You cannot measure all children the same, says Ann D’Errico.” “Standardized tests are a problem because they don’t take into account the social/emotional needs of children and their language background.”

The President’s proposal states that standardized tests are to supplement the current assessments that are given at each Head Start school. However, many fear that these tests could limit flexibility in Head Start programs and ultimately tie successful results to funding for the program.

"Head Start is such a good program because it is flexible and can focus both on learning and social skills," says Kathy Atherton. "We can focus on what students want to learn. For example, currently we have a five-year-old boy from Hawaii who loves to read and write. He has motivated other students write and to get excited about reading but he really lacks social skills. We can work to address both his needs with the current setup."

Others fear that standardized testing could lead to teaching towards the test and neglect other aspects of development. These worries are increased especially if funding is directly tied to test results. Teachers could be stricter with teaching skills in numbers, literacy and language while not addressing the emotional and social needs of their students.

"Bush's proposal stresses cognitive learning and not the program on the whole," says Val Luther. "The Head Start program exists in much bigger terms."

“This proposal would remove Head Start’s holistic approach to education and change the program into a day-care,” Ann D’Errico. “This is not good for high-risk families because all parental support will be lost. We don’t know what will happen after a child leaves school.”

Overall, it should be clear that Head Start changes lives. The program could change the way a child interacts or speaks. It could be the catalyst for family help or the stepping stone for employment. Head Start's strength lies in the compressive approach it takes towards helping children and families. It is a proven tool for communities and will continue to impact lives as long as it is allowed to exist.

For more information about Head Start visit the National Head Start Association at www.nhsa.org or The Children's Defense Fund at www.childrensdefense.org . For more information on the President's Proposal visit the Head Start Policy Book at www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/hspolicybook/03.html