[Senate Hearing 108-345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 108-345
REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM SERVING INDIAN COUNTRY
__________
SEPTEMBER 25, 2003
WASHINGTON, DC
89-672 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2003
____________________________________________________________________________
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COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado, Chairman
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii, Vice Chairman
JOHN McCAIN, Arizona, KENT CONRAD, North Dakota
PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico HARRY REID, Nevada
CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii
ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota
JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota
GORDON SMITH, Oregon MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
Paul Moorehead, Majority Staff Director/Chief Counsel
Patricia M. Zell, Minority Staff Director/Chief Counsel
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Statements:
Belleau, Ann, National Indian Head Start Directors
Association, board member and director, Inter-Tribal
Council of Michigan Inc. Head Start/Early Start, Sault Ste.
Marie, MI.................................................. 18
Gomez, Henrietta, Immersion Instructor, Taos Pueblo Head
Start program, Taos, NM.................................... 9
Guillory, Consuelo, National Indian Head Start Directors
Association, board member and director, Nez Perce Tribe
Head Start program, Lapwai, ID............................. 12
Hill, Windy M., associate commissioner, Head Start Bureau,
Administration for children and Families, Department of
Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.................. 1
Inouye, Hon. Daniel K., U.S. Senator from Hawaii, vice
chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs...................... 1
Laughter, Roy, Navajo Nation Government Services Committee,
Navajo Nation, Phoenix, AZ................................. 22
Morgan, Lee, contract compliance officer, Navajo Nation,
Phoenix, AZ................................................ 24
Sanchez, Gilbert, executive director, Department of
Education, Pueblo of Laguna, NM............................ 18
Turney, Lee, National Indian Head Start Directors
Association, board member and director, Leech Lake Band of
Ojibwe Head Start program, Cass Lake MN.................... 16
Verdugo, Mavany, president, National Indian Head Start
Directors Association, Valley Center, CA................... 6
Appendix
Prepared statements:
Belleau, Ann................................................. 32
Goetz, Meg, director, Congressional Relations, American
Indian Higher Education Consortium......................... 36
Gomez, Henrietta (with attachment)........................... 40
Guillory, Consuelo (with attachment)......................... 49
Hill, Windy M................................................ 27
Laughter, Roy (with attachment).............................. 82
Turney, Lee (with attachment)................................ 94
Sanchez, Gilbert............................................. 101
Verdugo, Mavany (with attachment)............................ 110
REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2003
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Indian Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room
562, Dirksen Senate Building, Hon. Daniel K. Inouye (vice
chairman of the committee) presiding.
Present: Senator Inouye.
STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. INOUYE, U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII,
VICE CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
Senator Inouye. The Committee on Indian Affairs meets this
morning to receive testimony on the reauthorization of the Head
Start program and particularly the programs that serve Indian
country.
For millions of children nationwide, the Head Start program
has proven to be one of the most beneficial aspects of their
beginnings of life. For the children of Indian country and
their parents, the Head Start program may well make a critical
difference throughout their entire lives.
So it is important that the Head Start program have the
flexibility to address the unique needs in Indian country,
including the ability to allow instruction in the child's
native language.
We have witnesses today who are the experts in Indian Head
Start programs. So, without further ado, I will call upon the
first panel. We have on the first panel the associate
commissioner of the Head Start Bureau, Administration for
Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services,
Windy Hill.
STATEMENT OF WINDY M. HILL, ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER, HEAD START
BUREAU, ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, WASHINGTON, DC
Ms. Hill. Good morning, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Inouye. Please proceed. Welcome.
Ms. Hill. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I
appreciate this opportunity to testify before you today on the
President's plan to strengthen Head Start, including those
programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native children and
families. I am here not only as the Associate Commissioner of
Head Start, but also as a former Head Start child and the
mother of a Head Start child who is now an accomplished high
school student.
I would like to focus my time today on the President's
goals for improving Head Start. I also want to share some
highlights and insights into Head Start services and operations
within American Indian and Alaska Native programs, AIAN Head
Start, that I know are of special interest to this committee.
Let me say at the outset that the President remains
committed to maintaining the current Federal-to-local
relationship with AIAN Head Start programs and working with
these programs to address the unique challenges they face.
As you know, Head Start was launched in 1965 as part of a
bold, big idea that children should not be disadvantaged in
their education because of the circumstances of their families.
However, recent research shows that, although Head Start
children make progress in areas of school readiness during the
Head Start year, they continue to lag behind their more
economically-advantaged peers. Consequently, the President and
Secretary Thompson sent the Head Start Bureau a clear message:
More needs to be done to strengthen the educational outcomes
for children.
As part of the President's ``Good Start, Grow Smart
Initiative,'' we were directed to increase the knowledge and
skills of Head Start teachers in the areas of pre-school
language and literacy and to create and maintain a national
reporting system that will help measure children's progress in
mastering the skills necessary to enter school ready to learn.
In response, the Head Start Bureau has already undertaken a
number of efforts aimed at bolstering the school readiness of
Head Start children, and representatives from AIAN programs
have been part of this effort.
The administration's efforts to improve the quality of Head
Start services for all children continue with the President's
proposal for reauthorization of Head Start. Let me be clear
that the President is not proposing to block grant Head Start
funding to States. The President's proposal does not allow
States who may qualify for participation in a State option to
do away with the comprehensive services currently available
through Head Start and makes clear that the Federal Government
will not cease or relinquish its oversight responsibility for
the Head Start program.
Under the President's proposal, AIAN Head Start programs
will continue to be funded directly by the Federal Government.
Governed by relevant laws and regulations, each tribe will
design a program that works, one that is sensitive to the
culture and history of the families, one that respects the rich
traditions of the tribe, and that recognizes the uniqueness of
language and customs.
The Head Start program has provided Head Start services to
Indian tribes since 1965, when the Department funded 43
grantees in 14 States. We are currently funding 165 grantees in
26 States to provide Head Start services to 23,837 children,
2,532 of whom are served in our early Head Start program. There
are 5,587 staff working in AIAN Head Start programs, 80 percent
of whom are Native Americans.
In fiscal year 2004 there will be increased efforts made to
assure that Head Start programs are achieving their primary
purpose of promoting school readiness, that all children,
including all American Indian and Alaska Native children, leave
Head Start with the cognitive, emotional, and social skills
they will need to be successful in school.
We have tried to respond to several unique needs by making
available funding that permits Indian programs to reach all, or
a substantial part, of their Head Start-eligible families. Over
the past several years we have worked in partnership with the
Indian Health Service, IHS agency, addressing the many health
and safety concerns of Head Start programs, concerns that are
often exacerbated by environmental factors beyond the control
of a local Head Start program or the community in which the
program is located.
In partnership with the IHS, we are currently finalizing a
report to Congress on the overall status and condition of
facilities occupied by AIAN Head Start programs. My formal
statement provides some of the overall findings.
We have invested over $25 million in the last three years
for renovations and construction to improve classroom and
playground, as well as work and meeting space, for AIAN Head
Start programs. We are also investing in new Head Start buses
for AIAN programs at a rate that is twice the national average.
We share these investments with you not to say that our job
is complete, but to acknowledge our awareness and intent to
address the needs of AIAN Head Start. We are committed to doing
that.
We look forward to working with this committee and with the
Congress to continue to address these and other challenges.
Together we must do all we can to bring to fruition the goals
and dreams of our Nation's ``first family.''
Thank you, and I will be happy to answer any questions you
may have.
[Prepared statement of Ms. Hill appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. All right, thank you very much, Ms. Hill.
I gather that the administration is proposing to create and
manage a national reporting system, and I am just wondering
what sort of testing tools are you going to have and, if so,
are they culturally-sensitive or are they strictly for those
who speak English?
Ms. Hill. We have begun this process of developing the
national reporting system with a great awareness that in some
parts of our country there are multiple languages in our Head
Start classrooms, as many as 50 to 58 different languages. We
know that the national reporting system will give us for the
first time the ability to assess the cognitive development of
children, much like we assess whether or not children have
immunizations and whether parents are receiving the supportive
services that they need.
We approach this with a real sense that it will take time
to develop and implement a system that is responsive to all of
the children in the program, but that we must start somewhere.
So we have begun the process focusing primarily on children
whose primary language is English or Spanish, recognizing that
in the process of assessing skills or English, children who
have not acquired English will not be assessed by an English
assessment tool. It means that over time we will move to
multiple languages, but at this point we are only capable of
assessing children with those languages.
Senator Inouye. In the meantime, those children who cannot
be appropriately tested may have to suffer the consequences?
Ms. Hill. No; absolutely not. Head Start is designed to
address the individual needs of all children. The national
reporting system gives us the ability to look across the
country nationally and see how well programs are doing in
meeting the cognitive needs of children, but at the same time
local programs still maintain that responsibility to plan their
program services around the individual needs of children.
It means that children are assessed at three points in time
in every program. They look at the beginning of the year to
identify how and what services might need to be provided,
including those that relate to the development of a child. They
look again about mid-year to see how well they are doing and
make whatever corrective modifications are necessary. Then at
the end of the year they do a final assessment to see how well
they achieved service delivery for every children. So no child
will suffer because the national reporting system cannot assess
in all languages.
Senator Inouye. So your reporting programs will accommodate
the language immersion Head Start programs?
Ms. Hill. Absolutely.
Senator Inouye. How does the administration plan to further
the acquisition, retention, and preservation of Native
languages through the Head Start program, or do you have any
policy on that?
Ms. Hill. Well, as you know, the Head Start program values,
has a long history since its inception of valuing the culture
and languages of the children which we serve. We know that we
are serving children in south Texas whose primary language may
be Spanish, children who are in Alaska whose native culture is
Inupiat or Tlingit tribes, and that that is part of the Head
Start experience and figuring out how to do it. So we do that
very well, and we will continue to do that.
The Department of Health and Human Services, through its
ANA, Administration for Native American programs, makes
available opportunities to support the immersion of language
not only in Head Start, but also throughout tribal programs and
other opportunities.
We also have local programs who have done an excellent job
of creating within their local infrastructure the support for
the preservation of Native languages.
Senator Inouye. As you may be aware, I represent a State of
many islands. As a result, there are big islands and small
islands. On some of the islands, it is hard to believe this,
but there are no escalators, no elevators, no shopping malls.
In fact, there are no huge-screen theaters.
To take these children from one island to another, there is
an additional cost of transportation. In the same way, there
are many reservations that are hundreds of miles away from
centers of activity.
Is your program making accommodations for additional
transportation costs?
Ms. Hill. We have begun our process, and it is an ongoing
process. As I mentioned in my short statement, the rate of
investment in buses alone is twice the national average in Head
Start, recognizing that many children are being transported
over unpaved roads. We want them to be transported in a fashion
that is as safe as possible, and the National Transportation
Safety Board is giving us guidance on what that type of
transportation should look like.
So we continue, through quality improvement funds and one-
time funding opportunities, to provide local programs with the
opportunity to apply for those funds, and as they are
available, make those funds available in developing
transportation systems that are safe for children.
Senator Inouye. The funds are finally available?
Ms. Hill. The funds have always been available in that one-
time funds are available at the end of each year. These are
funds that, for example, in the implementation of a program, if
the program starts late and dollars are unused, we use those
funds to support broader needs such as the transportation
needs. So those funds continue to be available on an annual
basis.
In addition to that, there is ongoing quality improvement
funds. Now from 1999 to about 2001, there was about $80 million
that went into the base of Head Start program funding to
address quality improvement needs, and transportation would
certainly be an area in which programs had an opportunity to
use those dollars to support those needs.
Senator Inouye. The Congress has requested the Department
to submit a report on the progress being made in Indian and
Alaskan villages. Do you have the report?
Ms. Hill. The report is in the final stages of being
complete and submitted through the clearance process for
submission to Congress. In my long statement we did extract
some findings of that report to share with the committee in
anticipation of its release here.
Senator Inouye. When do you anticipate completion of the
report?
Ms. Hill. I believe the report will be due and submitted
the latter part of this year.
Senator Inouye. So the committee will get a copy?
Ms. Hill. Yes, sir.
Senator Inouye. Thank you.
There is also a requirement of consultation. What is the
nature of consultation you have with Indian tribes?
Ms. Hill. Well, as you know, the Department and the
Secretary have revitalized a couple of interagency advisory
groups and councils for that specific purpose.
Commissioner Quanah Stamps, who heads up the Administration
for Native American, ANA, Department, is the chair of that
committee. Consultations for this year are being planned for
December.
In addition to that, our assistant secretary, Dr. Wade
Horn, serves on the executive committee, advisory committee,
and we are looking forward to the opportunity, to those
consultations this year. In the interim, because we share one
Department through our weekly and monthly staff meetings
convened by our assistant secretary, we have the opportunity to
have frequent dialogue across programs about services, and we
use that also as a vehicle, in addition to required reporting.
Senator Inouye. And you are satisfied with the progress
being made?
Ms. Hill. I am satisfied that we are all extremely
committed to ensuring that that communication is effective and
that it yields outcomes, better outcomes, for the children and
families served by those programs.
Senator Inouye. Ms. Hill, I thank you very much.
Ms. Hill. Thank you.
Senator Inouye. I think you are doing a good job.
Ms. Hill. Thank you.
Senator Inouye. In our next panel: the president of the
National Indian Head Start Directors Association of California,
Mavany Verdugo; the immersion instructor of the Taos Pueblo
Head Start program of New Mexico, Henrietta Gomez; the National
Head Start Directors Association board member and director of
the Nez Perce Tribe Head Start program, Consuelo Guillory.
Ladies, welcome, and may I call on Ms. Verdugo first.
STATEMENT OF MAVANY VERDUGO, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL INDIAN HEAD
START DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION, VALLEY CENTER, CA, ACCOMPANIED BY
HENRIETTA GOMEZ, IMMERSION INSTRUCTOR, TAOS PUEBLO HEAD START
PROGRAM, TAOS, NM; AND CONSUELO GUILLORY, NATIONAL INDIAN HEAD
START DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION, BOARD MEMBER AND DIRECTOR, NEZ
PERCE TRIBE HEAD START PROGRAM, LAPWAI, ID
Ms. Verdugo. Thank you. Vice Chairman Inouye and members of
the committee, thank you for this opportunity to submit
testimony on behalf of the National Indian Head Start Directors
Association with regard to reauthorization of Head Start.
We want to remember that in 1994 Senator Inouye was the
first-ever-awarded our association's Child Advocate of the
Year, and we just want to thank you for continuing to support
our children.
This testimony is about the miracle of Indian Head Start.
Head Start is one of the truly great Federal success stories in
Indian country. We urge the committee to support expansion of
Head Start and not its reorganization.
In the week prior to this hearing, our association sent out
a brief e-mail asking programs to respond to the specific
challenges that they face or obstacles that they have overcome
in their work and things that would be just unique to Indian
Head Start. We were really overwhelmed with the response. These
testimonies and stories are attached, and we would really
encourage you to read them.
Our role as the National Indian Head Start Directors
Association is as a national voice for our members in the
United States. We have roughly 95 percent of all of the Indian
programs as members, and we keep in communication.
Some of our statistics: Of the 575 federally-recognized
tribes, 216 participate in Head Start and Early Head Start.
That is a funded enrollment of approximately 24,000 children.
This number represents 2.9 percent of the total number of
children nationwide served by Head Start. These programs employ
approximately 6,000 individuals, and one-half of them are
employees that are current or former Head Start parents, like
myself.
Among the recommended improvements to the Head Start Act
are increasing the setaside for Indian Head Start. Currently,
Indian Head Start programs receive a 2.9 percent set-aside of
Head Start funds. This is really not sufficient to address the
extraordinary range of unique challenges faced by tribes
through the United States. This just supports a statutorily-
mandated increase in the setaside for Indian Head Start to 4
percent.
Other specific funding needs are:
Increased funding for transportation services. Head Start
funding for transportation does not adequately consider the
geographic isolation of many rural tribal communities, and you
will read about this in some of the stories that were
submitted.
Increased funding to support effective professional
development; increased funding for training and technical
assistance. Currently, there is a 2 percent setaside for
training and technical assistance. We support a 3-percent set-
aside for T&TA
Tribal programs should continue to receive their own T&TA
dollars with the additional funds awarded to a national
technical and training assistance system to support continued
networking and development across all tribal grantees.
We ask for increased funding for upgrading Head Start
facilities to maintain quality standards. There is a great need
for the renovation of existing facilities as well as a need for
the construction of new facilities. Again, you will see this
demonstrated in the stories.
Expansion of Early Head Start programs, including an Early
Head Start Indian set-aside--Ann Belleau will be giving you a
more detailed story about this in her testimony.
Flexibility in eligibility criteria. NIHSDA recommends that
tribes be given greater flexibility to establish the criteria
for eligibility in their Indian Head Start programs. This is
not an effort to provide universal coverage, but is intended to
ensure that each tribe can tailor its program to the unique
cultural and economic circumstances of its community.
Currently, there is no preference language for serving Indian
children and eligibility requirements are unreasonably low and
inconsistent with other Federal programs.
We are asking for maintenance of a separate Indian Head
Start region within the Head Start Bureau. We request that the
Head Start Act specifically provide for a separate region for
Indian Head Start. We support the continued separate provision
of technical assistance for Indian Head Start.
State and local programs do not have the capacity to
develop and support this expertise. The American Indian/Alaska
Native Program Branch has also developed knowledge and
experience which enables it to respond more effectively to
tribal programs, as well as to explain, advocate, and
articulate the issues within the Federal Government.
Formal consultation requirements for the Department of
Health and Human Services: Tribal Head Start consultations must
provide tribes and tribal Head Start grantees a forum that will
allow greater opportunity for significant participation in the
administration and operation of Head Start programs and greater
opportunity to express their issues and concerns with existing
or developing Federal policies, regulations, and other related
directives that affect services in tribal communities.
Enhanced but flexible degree requirements for staff with
expanded distance learning opportunities, Connie is going to
expound on this in her testimony.
Culturally- and linguistically-appropriate testing: While
the goals of the national reporting system are laudable, to
measure children's language and literacy skills in order to
track child outcomes and progress in educational achievement,
culturally-skewed assessments will hurt both schools and
children.
Preservation of language and promotion of culturally-
relevant programs and research, Henrietta Gomez will be
speaking about that in her testimony.
Greater flexibility in cost sharing: Tribal communities
affirm their responsibility to provide a share of in-kind or
cash-match to support Head Start programs. However, it is a
constant challenge for impoverished tribes with a small
volunteer pool, limited third-party in-kind contributions, and
their remote locations and low-value facilities to meet the
cost-sharing requirements of the law.
Undertaking of culturally-appropriate relevant research and
evaluation, this will be covered by Lee Turney in his
testimony.
So, in conclusion, on behalf of the National Indian Head
Start Directors Association, I would like to thank the
committee for holding this hearing and listening to the views
expressed today. Again, I would like to encourage you to read
the stories from our programs that are out there on the front,
because they are very compelling, to let you see the uniqueness
of our Indian programs. Thank you.
[Prepared statement of Ms. Verdugo appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. First, may I assure you that we will read
those stories.
You have suggested that the Head Start program be
increased. For example, at this moment you are receiving about
3-percent of the Head Start funds. You are suggesting it be
raised to 4. How many more children will that accommodate?
Ms. Verdugo. I would like to get back to you with an exact
number of how that would affect, but we do have many children
who are unserved in our communities. This would enable us to
get out and reach unserved communities.
Senator Inouye. You are also suggesting that families that
qualify under WIC be permitted to send their children. How many
more children would that add to the program?
Ms. Verdugo. Again, I would have to get back to you on an
exact number, but I would say that USDA has proposed rules to
go from 125 to 185 percent in their eligibility criteria. If we
were able to adopt that, it would be a uniform eligibility
criteria for Federal programs, and it would help a lot of
families that just barely go over that eligibility criteria,
because TANF is working, and they are going out to work, but
they lament that it was much easier when they were on TANF to
be able to qualify for things. So it is not that they are
exceeding the limit in a large way.
Senator Inouye. With your background and experience, are
you satisfied that the program has had some good results?
Ms. Verdugo. Absolutely. I can speak personally as to how
Head Start has helped me and my family, and you will see it in
stories. It helps children as we follow them, as they
transition into school, in a broad area of ways. We are really
increasing their academic success. You will see that in the
other testimony that comes through. We can firmly stand behind
the program.
Senator Inouye. Thank you very much.
Ms. Verdugo. Yes.
Senator Inouye. Ms. Gomez.
STATEMENT OF HENRIETTA GOMEZ, IMMERSION INSTRUCTOR, TAOS PUEBLO
HEAD START PROGRAM, TAOS, NM
Ms. Gomez. [Speaks briefly in Native language.]
Iloculi is my Tiwa name given to me by my paternal
grandfather. Henrietta Gomez is my paycheck name.
Senator Inouye. Your paycheck name? [Laughter.]
Ms. Gomez. Vice Chairman Inouye and members of the Senate
Committee on Indian Affairs, I appreciate the opportunity to
submit this testimony in support of the recommendations of the
National Indian Head Start Directors Association for amendments
to the Head Start Act as it applies to American Indian/Alaska
Native Head Start programs.
Among the proposed recommendations are amendments that
relate to Native language preservation, an issue I would like
to focus on in this testimony. In the early 1990's, Congress
passed the Native Language Act, which recognized the unique
status that tribes hold in the United States as sovereign
entities through treaties and acts of Congress and the central
importance of native languages. I hope this body will once
again reaffirm its commitment to native people and the survival
of their languages and culture through careful and thoughtful
consideration.
I went to school when I was 5 years old. My first language
was English. My mother is Acoma Pueblo. My father is Tiwa from
northern New Mexico. His language is Tiwa. As such, I learned
to speak English first.
When I went to school, I saw my classmates suffer because
they came to school speaking their first language, which was
Tiwa. When we would go into the playground, because they were
forbidden to speak in the classrooms, we would go out into the
playground and we would sit in our little circles playing, and
they would whisper to me: [Speaks briefly in Native language.]
``Why do you speak English? Are you a Poinsiena? Are you a
white girl?''
I tried very hard to learn my language. My mother, whose
native language is Keres, saw my suffering and the trauma that
I was experiencing, and she learned, made every effort to
learn, the Tiwa language. My native language is my second
language.
I went through school speaking and learning both English
and Tiwa. When I became a mother, I taught my children only
English. When they became adults, young adults, I realized that
through my efforts to prevent my children from experiencing the
same trauma that I experienced, I robbed my children of their
rightful heritage. My children do not speak the language.
I came into the Head Start program when the Head Start
program and the local Bureau school had made an effort, because
of the community assessment and the findings of the community
assessment, and the tribal communities voicing their concern
about our children not speaking the language, because children
were speaking English in places where English didn't have a
place, and those were in our ceremonial places.
Children were speaking to their grandparents in English.
The grandparents sometimes didn't have anyone to speak to in
their language, and I see this not only in my tribe, but many
tribes across the Nation.
After we applied for the ANA grant and were granted a 3-
year grant through an ANA program, we developed a language
immersion program in the Head Start program. The second year of
implementing our program our children were tested because many
of the teachers, and even fluent Native teachers, were
concerned that, if our children were immersed in a language
program, they would have academic delays. In the second year of
implementing our program, our children were tested and their
gains were greater than the children in the English-only
classrooms.
We understand in the Head Start program that we have
Federal mandates that we have to comply with. We understand our
President's efforts to reach every child in the No Child Left
Behind Act. We understand that English is very important, but
just as well we want our Native languages to have the same
recognition, to have the same status as English, because in
order for children to progress and develop socially and
academically, they have to be recognized and honored for who
they are and where they have come from.
In our language immersion program, children can go out into
the community and acknowledge people, their people, in their
language. Children can use their Native language outside of the
tribal community and greet each other in their language. When
they go out into the greater community, because they are
nurtured and honored for where they come from and who they are,
they can succeed in the greater world.
Learning your native tongue and learning English can happen
simultaneously. We see that in our language immersion program.
After the ANA grant expired, we had an opportunity to apply
for a full-day, full-year grant through the Head Start program,
and we wrote our language program into the Head Start grant.
Our teachers, our native language teachers, understand
accountability, and many of them have taken the challenge to go
back to school and receive early childhood education.
We can bring more native-language-speaking teachers into
the classroom to develop culturally-relevant material, teaching
materials. We understood early on in our program that we can't
just translate written curriculum or borrowed curriculum and
try to teach our native language. It is a challenge to develop
curriculum and teaching materials to teach native languages,
but those teachers that have done this are very creative and
innovative teachers that have taken that challenge.
They teach outside of the walls of the classroom. They
teach children to honor and respect their environment.
As I went through my personal education process, because we
weren't recognized and honored for who we were, many of us left
our language and culture behind, and our children, as such,
didn't learn that. We robbed them of that.
I could see the breakdown of the social structure of my
tribe. It is our hope that in bringing back the language in the
home and in the classrooms that we can start to bring back the
social values of our tribes which can be communicated in our
language.
Native language and culture in American Indian/Alaska
Native Head Start programs will help to ensure that indigenous
children are educated in a cultural-appropriate manner and be
able to relate to the larger society from an intact cultural
perspective, not from a destroyed or distorted cultural
perspective.
Native language programs and Head Start programs represent
a native's adaptation of the ideal of education. For a native
culture, learning means discovering the principles and the
relations of everything. Integrating native culture and
language in NIAN Head Start programs will contribute not only
to the survival of native society, but also to the survival of
the world through native contributions to the community of
learning.
We do not believe that language and literacy activities
geared toward English are the only meaningful ones in a
classroom of students from a native language background, the
home language and literacies of native children can and should
be incorporated into the classroom in ways that would be
socially useful and cognitively challenging for children.
Inclusion of the home language and culture in the classroom
curriculum allows Native children the opportunity to be the
experts and build pride in the languages and cultures of their
family.
The inclusion of native languages in the classroom is also
cognitively challenging. These children will develop mental
linguistic awareness, the ability to think how language works,
a skill that will help them in learning how to read and write
in English.
In an effort to ensure school readiness, we must make sure
to leave intact and strengthen the paths to meaningful life
connections to family and community. Thank you. [Speaks a
Native language word.]
[Prepared statement of Ms. Gomez appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. Thank you very much. Historians and
anthropologists have long suggested that language is an
integral part of culture and civilization. When language
disappears, that culture and civilization eventually disappear.
No one knows anything about Assyrians now. It is because it is
long gone. No one speaks that language. Or Chaldean or
Babylonian, but these were great civilizations at one time.
In the same sense, I agree with the anthropologists and
sociologists and historians. I am proud to say that we in
Hawaii have a very ambitious Native Hawaiian language immersion
program, and like you, the results have shown that children who
have gone through the program have done academically better
than those who have not. So I congratulate you.
My question to you is: Have you found, has your tribe
experienced any barriers in establishing and operating a native
language immersion Head Start program? Has the Government put
any obstacles in your path?
Ms. Gomez. In the beginning, when we first implemented our
program, there were questions, just as I testified, on whether
there would be delays in the children's academic performance.
There were also, interestingly, the instructors, sometimes even
native instructors, stating that, ``I went and took and got my
degree to teach in English. I was not taught to teach my
language.''
So I think that in this act, if there is language in the
law where all people can understand that language and culture
are important to the development, the healthy and well-being of
children, that everyone can understand and not put up personal
barriers, and we can overcome attitudes and understand
differences and honor everyone's culture and language.
Senator Inouye. I thank you very much, Ms. Gomez.
May I now recognize Ms. Guillory.
STATEMENT OF CONNIE GUILLORY, NATIONAL INDIAN HEAD START
DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION, BOARD MEMBER AND DIRECTOR, NEZ PERCE
TRIBE HEAD START PROGRAM, LAPWAI, ID
Ms. Guillory. Thank you very much. Usually I don't have to
use a mike, but I will be professional, I guess.
But I did hand this out yesterday, and I hope you do have
it in your packets. What it says is ``The Nez Perce Tribe's
Early Childhood Development Program: Its Journey to Distance
Learning Education.'' I will be referencing that.
Today I am here to represent Head Start and Early Head
Start programs in Indian country and to talk about the
relevance and importance of distance learning for these
programs. In my experience as the Director of the Nez Perce
Tribe Early Childhood Development Program, which includes Head
Start, Early Head Start, and the Child Care and Development
Fund, distance learning can and has successfully bridged the
resource gap experienced by nearly all rurally-located Indian
tribes. To do this, Indian country has already begun developing
collaborations to utilize distance learning, especially for
professional development purposes.
As we know, Indian country does not have a cadre of people
prepared to enter the workforce. Rather, the workforce consists
of parents with children. Unfortunately, all too often they
lack the skills needed or are entering the workforce for the
first time, do not have a high school diploma, and many are
working to just get their GED.
So what do we do in Indian country? We have to become
creative and innovative while developing practical, attainable,
professional development training plans to meet the needs of
staff, the tribal government, and the Federal Government. Thus,
the role of technology allows programs to develop training
activities and opportunities for our children, families, and
communities.
Since 1994, when new academic requirements were added to
the Head Start Act, tribes have had to collaborate, create, and
develop systems to meet these requirements. In doing so, they
have had to address the difficulty of being located far from
major educational institutions.
One way we have dealt with this challenge has been through
distance learning. While distance learning is relatively new to
early childhood programs in Indian country, I am happy to
report that it is up and running.
Tribes seek to provide ways for their people to get degrees
without having to leave the reservation. For Head Start
programs, distance learning permits relatively easy access to
quality professional development training plans. We should not
forget that our staff often pursue these degrees while working
full time and raising a family.
Of course, distance learning not only allows tribes to
offer opportunities to tribal members, but also to their
workforce, including the non-Indians. It is a tool that works
for everyone: tribal governments, employees of the tribe, and
the communities within a reservation.
I am here to specifically talk about the distance learning
program that the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho entered with the
Northwest Indian College based in Bellingham, Washington,
almost 10 hours away. In 2001, we entered into an agreement,
and in 2002, through the Head Start program, was specifically
to assist our tribe in getting our staff trained to get on
their way towards their AA degree.
What we have found through this collaboration, the MOA is
really a commitment on both sides for the Head Start Bureau,
for the local or community college, and for tribes that enter
into this agreement.
In my research I looked at the commitments ranging from
Alaska, which is very remote, to the Navajo Nation, which is
very big. Our tribe isn't that big. We do encompass five
counties.
But even though distance learning can be successful, there
is a lot of the costs and benefits you have to look at prior to
getting into it. I kind of look at insight and I think, my
gosh, we have accomplished so much, and maybe because we didn't
know we were successful, and maybe if we would have known, we
wouldn't be as far as we are. I don't know, but it has worked.
I do cite some things: that when you first go into distance
learning, you talk about technology, the hardware, the video
players, the cameras, software, transmission, looking at the T1
line, satellite, microwave. The examples I have given in our
brochure here, a PowerPoint presentation, is how we show it
from Lapwai to Kamiah, which is 62 miles going up the beautiful
Clear Water River.
But in that it is just valleys. It is not flat. It is
trees. That was probably one of our biggest obstacles. It took
us 1 year to get that in place.
You look at the maintenance, repair, and update, the
infrastructure. Does the program have the infrastructure in
place, production, the support, the support from the tribes,
from the colleges, from Northwest Indian College? How fast can
they get over here from Bellingham?
Well, luckily, our tribe has that information of support
systems, the personnel to not only run the program, but getting
instructors that are qualified. We do run ads every year.
Although the costs of distance learning are truly outweighed by
the benefits, I do point out that, to just start this program,
it costs $463,000 to start up.
As a result, from this, as we have when I heard you speak
earlier about articulation agreements, we have articulation
agreements with Washington State University in Pullman,
Washington; the University of Idaho, which is in Moscow, ID,
and Lewis and Clark State in Lewiston, ID.
As we talk about this and as I try to describe it,
collaboration is the key, and in Indian country that is
survival. I think about, I actually made this sentence up: For
Indian country, collaboration is not an option; it is a
necessity and, fortunately, it exists.
One successful collaborative effort is that between the
Head Start program and the American Indian Higher Education
Consortium and tribal colleges and universities. There are 32
accredited tribal colleges and universities that offer early
childhood education programs.
Then we get into our professional development that we are
required to do through the Head Start Act. It says, each Head
Start agency would be required to coordinate and collaborate
with the local education agency serving the communities
involved to ensure curriculum and classroom experiences for
Head Start are aligned with the cognitive, social, emotional,
and physical skills that children entering kindergarten are
expected to demonstrate.
We didn't even know this was going on, Mr. Inouye, in that
the Idaho Reading Indicator--it is called the IRI--had been
testing our children that were leaving Head Start to
kindergarten from 1999. The skills they were looking at was,
once they left Head Start to kindergarten, could they write
their own name? Could they detect rhyme? Could they detect
syllables and identify uppercase letters?
I am happy to report from this graph you will see in 1999
15 percent scored at or above grade level; 3 years later, in
2002, our children scored at 49 percent at or above grade
level.
As a part of this, as I indicated earlier, our Early Head
Start program, which we are so fortunate to have, is offering a
holistic approach to child development, and I am really a
believer that every--you know, of course, I am going to say
every Indian program should have an Early Head Start program,
but we start with the mothers who the babies are being inside
of them, until they come into the program from Early Head Start
to Head Start. We have seen this work because, as a part of
this statistic, these are our Early Head Start children that
started at a minimum in our program at 3 months old, the brain
development. So it does work.
That is a passion. Today, probably he has already been
born; I have a grandson that has just been born today as I
present this testimony. So it will be very memorable to me.
Professional development can be achieved but requires
financial and administrative support. I would like to state
that we did receive notice that the new T&TA system that has
been dismantled was supposed to have started September 1, and
to our knowledge, it has not begun. It is a concern that we
have.
I would like to, in closing, NIHSDA strongly supports
amending the Head Start Act to provide grants to tribal
colleges and universities, to increase the number of post-
secondary degrees in early childhood education, and increase
funding for Indian Head Start early childhood services. When I
say that, I don't mean just Head Start. I am talking from birth
to 5 years of age. As shown in our report, it does work.
In collaboration with local school districts, we support
that, but we need to keep it separate because this is a result
of it. I don't know that we should necessarily be mandated,
even though I heard an assurance that that wouldn't occur.
Then increase funding to retain and recruit staff. Again,
this was real disappointing for me, is that, through this
process of getting staff educated, what we are finding now,
they are getting their education. We are helping to support
them. Just last week, I lost a person. I know we can never keep
them or make them stay with you, but a lot of it is going to
have to depend on the salary we are going to be able to pay
them. We have to pay them. She gave me two days' notice and she
went to the Lewiston Idaho School District. So that was really
a disappointment to us.
I just want to say that it does work, Early Head Start and
distance learning, and that we need to have enough funding to
meet these mandates. I had Windy Hill ask me that. When I
showed her the diagram, she said, ``Well, how did it work? What
did you do?'' I said, ``Well, I don't know. I guess we've done
what you told us to do.''
I think as Indian people we do that. We get these Federal
regulations and we do; we do the best we can without a lot of
times the resources to do it.
With that, Mr. Chairman, thank you.
[Prepared statement of Ms. Guillory appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. Well, congratulations. The Nez Perce Tribe
is very fortunate to have you, Ma'am.
Ms. Guillory. Thank you.
Senator Inouye. Under the Memorandum of Agreement, what
percentage of your teachers have met, or are meeting, the
education degree requirement?
Ms. Guillory. Mr. Chairman, until I lost this person, we
were doing pretty good. Right now I am one of those directors,
contrary to probably a lot of the belief out there, that what
we have set up in the way of professional development, that
within the first year they must get their CDA. That is the
basic foundation.
Along with that, then they start to enter into school for
their AA degree via our distance learning program. If they
choose to go directly or they already have some classes, we
just start their professional development plans and try to
provide that support to get their degrees.
We are not at 50 percent. We are at probably 75 percent for
our CDAs, but we are not for our AAs. I mean I am not even
looking at a bachelor's, to be honest with you.
I know that they are trying to make that mandatory by 2008.
I don't know that tribes can meet that.
Senator Inouye. I thank you very much, and, ladies, I thank
you all very much.
Our next panel: The National Indian Head Start Directors
Association board member, Lee Turney; National Indian Head
Start Directors Association board member, Ann Belleau;
executive director, Department of Education, Pueblo of Laguna,
Gilbert Sanchez, and Navajo Nation Government Services
Committee, Roy Laughter.
Mr. Turney.
STATEMENT OF LEE TURNEY, NATIONAL INDIAN HEAD START DIRECTORS
ASSOCIATION, BOARD MEMBER AND DIRECTOR, LEECH LAKE BAND OF
OJIBWE HEAD START PROGRAM, CASS LAKE, MN, ACCOMPANIED BY ANN
BELLEAU, NATIONAL INDIAN HEAD START DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION,
BOARD MEMBER AND DIRECTOR, INTER-TRIBAL COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN
INC. HEAD START/EARLY START, SAULT STE. MARIE, MI; GILBERT
SANCHEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, PUEBLO OF
LAGUNA, LAGUNA, NM; ROY LAUGHTER, NAVAJO NATION GOVERNMENT
SERVICES COMMITTEE, NAVAJO NATION, PHOENIX, AZ; AND LEE MORGAN,
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE OFFICER, NAVAJO NATION, PHOENIX, AZ
Mr. Turney. Good morning, Mr. Chairman. First, I would like
to thank you for allowing me an opportunity to present oral
testimony on the reauthorization of Head Start. I will
concentrate my comments this morning on Indian Head Start
research and the need to establish curricula that reflects the
unique learning styles and cultural values of Native American
people.
In the area of research, while some research has been done
in Indian country, tribes are still legislatively excluded from
the national research agenda. If we are to meet the challenges
of tomorrow and establish the successes for our children, we
need to be included in any further and in future research
agendas at the national level.
Also, when research is conducted, it will be important to
take into account the unique cultural characteristics of the
children and families that we serve. Also, tribal communities
must have a significant voice in the research when it is
designed and conducted.
There is a strong consensus that American Indian and
Alaskan Native children bring unique aspects of their culture
and background when they come into Head Start. In order for us
to provide appropriate relevant Head Start services, programs
must be able to accommodate those unique characteristics.
The American Indian/Alaska Native programs support the Head
Start Bureau's efforts to improve accountability by
strengthening the screening and assessment of child outcomes
and program monitoring. However, these instruments, measures,
and procedures that are going to be used to assess our children
must be culturally-appropriate.
The National Indian Head Start Directors Association
recommends research in some of the following areas:
The national reporting system. We need to ensure that as we
go out and do this assessment on our children that the tool is
culturally-appropriate and sensitive to the various aspects
that our children provide across Indian country.
The current Head Start Act of 1998 had two studies which
Congress thought were important back in 1998. To date, neither
of these studies have been reported out to Indian country.
They are, one, status of children. This report was to
conduct a study on the service delivery to Indian children
living on or near Indian reservations.
A side note to that is that the migrants were also included
in this legislative action. Their report has been completed and
published.
Another report was on facilities, and we heard earlier that
that report should be coming out in the near future, but it was
a report that looked at the condition, location, and ownership
of facilities that are used currently or available for use by
travel grantees.
In my written testimony I have outlined a few other
examples of research projects that the association submits for
consideration in the future.
In the area of curricula, many observers and educators have
noted the importance of providing culturally-appropriate
curricula for the American Indian and Alaska Native children.
In this, language and culture, as we have heard in previous
testimony this morning, plays a vital role. We believe that
this would provide for the social, emotional, and historical
links that would aid in the child development and achievement
in school.
We believe that each child must have an understanding of
who they are and where they have come from in order to be able
to walk in both worlds, as we have to do today to be
successful. Indian students learn in styles that are unique to
their cultural upbringing. At times the American education
system and their background are not compatible. Then we need to
have the research available that defines that. Like any child,
an American Indian/Alaska Native child would be more apt to be
engaged in classroom activities and instructions if the
curriculum that was being presented fit their cultural
backgrounds.
Research is very important. I believe that we have heard
today how important culture/language is in the development of
our children and knowing who they are as Native American
peoples.
I urge Congress to make provisions in the new Head Start
Act that would recognize tribes in the future as part of the
national research agenda, so that we can provide the curricula,
both in Early Head Start, Head Start, and also into the public
and tribal school systems that is reflective of the children
that they are providing services for.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you.
[Prepared statement of Mr. Turney appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. Thank you very much, Mr. Turney.
Are you suggesting that the reporting system is culturally-
insensitive?
Mr. Turney. That has been the consensus from the people
that we have sent to do the conduction of the test. We have
moved forward, but our concern, again, is across Indian country
is that there are some biases that have been included and have
been removed. But it is our belief that if we are going to go
forward in tests, then the testing tool should be accurate and
should meet all the needs of all the children, instead of fix
it as we go.
Senator Inouye. And the tools today are not sufficiently
culturally-sensitive?
Mr. Turney. No, sir; I don't believe so.
Senator Inouye. All right, thank you very much.
Mr. Turney. Thank you, sir.
Senator Inouye. May I now recognize Ms. Belleau.
STATEMENT OF ANN BELLEAU, NATIONAL INDIAN HEAD START DIRECTORS
ASSOCIATION, BOARD MEMBER AND DIRECTOR, INTER-TRIBAL COUNCIL OF
MICHIGAN INC. HEAD START/EARLY START, SAULT STE. MARIE, MI
Ms. Belleau. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to
testify today on behalf of the National Head Start Directors
Association. My testimony focuses on the need for an American
Indian and Alaska Native Early Head Start funding setaside
separate from the current pre-school Head Start setaside.
There are many reasons that justify the need for a separate
setaside for the American Indian/Alaska Native programs. The
first reason is the obvious disparity in the number of tribal
Early Head Start programs that are funded as compared to the
other 10 regions.
From the very beginning, the American Indian/Alaska Native
programs received proportionately less funding. During the
first wave of Early Head Start funding in 1995, only 2 out of
68 applications funded were tribal programs. This pattern of
funding fewer tribal programs began in 1995 and has continued
until today. In fact, most recently, during the last funding
opportunity, only 4 of the tribal applications received
funding, leaving more than 20 applications from tribal entities
unfunded.
A separate setaside would ensure equal opportunity for
tribal applications and would alleviate the American Indian/
Alaska Native programs from competing for Early Head Start
funds at the national level with the other 10 regions and only
compete for funds with their counterparts in the American
Indian/Alaska Native Programs Branch. This would also allow for
tribal applications to have a separate grant review process
where the reviewers would better understand the unique
circumstances that each tribe is challenged with.
Today there are 708 Early Head Start programs across the
Nation. Only 43 of those programs are American Indian/Alaska
Native programs. This is only approximately 5 percent of the
total Early Head Start grantees.
The 2002 PIR data confirmed that only 4.6 percent of the
nationwide enrollment are American Indian/Alaska Native
children, to again demonstrate the blatant disparity of tribal
Early Head Start programs that have been funded and are
currently available to tribes across the country. A separate
setaside would ensure a more equitable distribution of grant
funds to tribal governments. The existing setaside for pre-
school Head Start has provided a foundation for stable American
Indian/Alaska Native pre-school Head Start programs. A separate
setaside would provide the same opportunity to tribal Early
Head Start programs.
Currently, the national Head Start budget only allocates
2.9 percent of funding for the American Indian and Alaska
Native pre-school Head Start programs. This allocation
currently is not sufficient for the pre-school age program and
should not be considered as a source for the tribal Early Head
Start setaside, justifying the need for a completely separate
setaside for the American Indian/Alaska Native Early Head Start
programs.
Early Head Start is very beneficial to the American Indian/
Alaska Native population because services to pregnant women,
infants, and toddlers are limited. Early Head Start is the only
comprehensive early childhood program of its kind available to
tribes.
Early Head Start improves the overall quality of life by
ensuring that children receive immunizations, routine health
care, nutritious meals, family services, improved parenting
skills, and much more. Early Head Start programs double as
child care services for families to provide them with more
opportunity to attend classes or work without the added expense
of paying for child care that they cannot afford.
There is a greater need for Early Head Start services
within Indian country since tribes are disadvantaged by lack of
resources and struggle to find funding to operate programs and
services to assist tribal members. While there is a common
misconception that tribes are rich because of the casinos, in
reality this is not the case, except for a few who are the
minority, not the majority. The rest of us benefit from low-
paying jobs that put us just over the Head Start income
guidelines, but certainly do not make us rich. These low-paying
jobs put food on the table and money to pay everyday household
bills without having to depend on TANF for assistance, rich we
are not, but in need we are.
Thank you.
[Prepared statement of Ms. Belleau appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. Thank you very much, Ms. Belleau.
I just received a call from the Senate Chamber. I am the
senior member of the Defense Appropriations Committee, and they
just brought up my bill and they feel that I must be there in
order to manage that bill. So may I call a short recess? We
will try to resolve the matter in the Senate immediately. So
can you stick around for about half an hour? Thank you very
much.
[Recess.]
Senator Inouye. I am sorry for this interruption, but I
think we have the matter resolved.
Ms. Belleau, we have heard about Indian children being
involved. How many children do you believe are eligible for
these programs and how many are enrolled? I just want to see
how many are denied this.
Ms. Belleau. As far as being denied, I can't really give
you a specific number, but we do know that there are a lot of
tribes that are not even being served right now under Early
Head Start. In my State alone we have three tribes that are
completely unserved for Head Start or Early Head Start. But as
far as specific numbers, we could certainly get that
information back to you.
Senator Inouye. Yes; I think the committee would like to
know how many eligible children there are and how many are
enrolled. That would give us an idea of what the scope is.
Thank you very much, and may I now recognize Mr. Sanchez.
STATEMENT OF GILBERT SANCHEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION, PUEBLO OF LAGUNA, LAGUNA, NM
Mr. Sanchez. Thank you, Mr. Vice Chairman, for inviting me
to testify on behalf of the Pueblo of Laguna regarding Head
Start reauthorization. My written testimony has been submitted
for the record, and it describes Laguna's Head Start and early
childhood programs in more depth.
But let me just say that our programs are family-driven and
very comprehensive. There are more than 600 children under the
age of 5 years in our community. We are serving only 40 percent
of them, in large part due to the concerns and issues I have
identified in the written testimony.
It is important to distinguish that these comments are
unique to Laguna tribe that has successful years of experience
in managing our own education system, and, therefore, our
position may not be fully supported by all tribes.
In summary, our concerns are, first, the option of direct
funding to tribes should be provided on a contractual basis
with the Federal Government, so that tribes can provide
comprehensive education programs.
Second, funding levels for all programs are inadequate and
need to be increased.
Third, the 15 percent limitation on administrative costs is
too low. The Pueblo needs to fully recover administrative
costs.
Fourth, continue to improve the administration of
performance standards and evaluations.
Fifth, separate program funds must be made available to
meet our facilities and transportation needs.
Sixth, national standards and assessment criteria must
accommodate and support the provision of language and culture
evaluation/education.
For the remaining of my time I would like to discuss
Laguna's support for the Department of Health and Human
Services direct contracting for tribes for Head Start and early
childhood programs. I will also discuss the supreme importance
of providing our children with language and cultural education.
The Pueblo of Laguna was enthusiastic about President
Bush's initiative to encourage the consolidation of early
childhood programs with Head Start programs. However, we were
disappointed that the President did not initiate this helpful
concept for tribes. Because of this, Laguna is delighted and
supportive of the committee for considering the establishment
of direct contracting tribal demonstration programs. A
demonstration program should allow tribes to, one, establish
their own performance standards and compliance criteria; two,
develop and implement Native language and culture immersion
programs; three, develop streamline reporting systems for
managing multiple programs to minimize administrative costs,
and, four, identify barriers to effective use of Federal,
tribal, State, and private resources.
However, we must point out that the tribal demonstration
projects will be hampered by multiple program and agency
requirements unless Federal administrative reforms are
implemented. To this end, Laguna believes that:
First, tribes should be able to combine Federal funds with
multiple agencies into a single administrative system.
Second, Federal agencies should collaborate on how to
combine the resources into a single service delivery system.
Third, Federal agencies should be assisted in harmonizing
their statutory requirements by enabling them to waive
requirements where it makes sense to do so.
Fourth, integration tools should be developed and used to
streamline reporting, auditing, and oversight of programs.
Fifth, Federal agencies should jointly provide multiple
program technical assistance.
Other Federal reforms are needed to facilitate interagency
fund transfers, eliminate separate recordkeeping requirements,
and allow tribes to receive full administrative costs
compensation without overage reductions.
The importance of tribal preservation of language and
culture: Laguna Pueblo values thinking and education of
families, but we must also value traditional culture and
ceremony. The early years of childhood are critical to a
lifelong development not only in the cognitive or physical
sense, but also in the social and cultural sense. The
traditional means of educating children must be supplemented by
our education systems, including the Head Start and early
childhood programs. A young child's early conception of the
basic elements of language and culture are important to Laguna
people for lifelong success as an individual, as a contributing
member of Laguna society.
Laguna is concerned that the great emphasis on other
learning will undermine our important efforts in language and
cultural transference. In order to be Laguna and to say that
Laguna exists in the world, Laguna's values, attitudes,
beliefs, rules, history, kinship, and certainty of life must be
transferred to each generation. Our stories, language, and
ceremonies represent particular Laguna knowledge on a variety
of subjects. These cultural lifeways are the backbone of our
society.
The Bush administration is developing a national reporting
system to measure a child's language and literacy skills in
order to track child outcomes and progress in educational
achievement. Laguna supports closing the achievement gap of
disadvantaged children, but the proposed system only values
non-cultural learning. If child readiness and programmatic
success are to be measured only by non-cultural learning
outcomes, tribal programs may not be able to fully measure up,
and this would be exceedingly unfair.
Cultural education and provision of it must not be
discounted in the evaluation of readiness skills nor in the
evaluation of programmatic success. Instead, Native language
and culture education should be supported.
The Native American Language Act makes it official Federal
policy to preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom
of Native Americans to use, practice, and develop their
languages. We think that the Department of Health and Human
Services should embrace this policy.
In conclusion, again, I want to thank you for allowing the
Pueblo of Laguna to present its views. Our Pueblo is obligated
to do the best we can for our families and children. That is
why we are here today, and we look forward to working with this
committee in the future. Thank you.
[Prepared statement of Mr. Sanchez appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. Thank you very much, Mr. Sanchez.
I have received communications from several leaders who
have suggested that self-determination contracts be entered
into to authorize Indians to establish their own Head Start
programs, programs where the performance standards would meet
or exceed that established by the Bureau. Do you believe that,
if this authorization is established, programs under these
agreements would exceed the performance standards that are now
in place?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes; I do. I feel like, if given the
opportunity, we would work toward quality. As it is now, when
you consider performance standards, they are minimum and many
times we don't even measure up to the minimum, for lack of
resources and wherewithal as tribes.
But in the case where Laguna established its own Department
of Education, we were able to combine all our education
programs into one system in Laguna. So we basically manage
about 35 funding sources and about six different fiscal years.
I think the success we are having with our programs,
managing all of our programs under one agency, has really
allowed us to focus on the quality aspect of it. So I think,
given the 10 years of experience that we have had doing this,
that Head Start would do very well within our program because I
know we would be able to follow the guidelines that probably go
beyond that.
Senator Inouye. Thank you very much, Mr. Sanchez.
Mr. Laughter.
STATEMENT OF ROY LAUGHTER, NAVAJO NATION GOVERNMENT SERVICES
COMMITTEE, NAVAJO NATION, PHOENIX, AZ
Mr. Laughter. Mr. Vice Chairman Inouye and staff members of
the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, good morning. My name
is Roy Laughter. I am a council delegate from Chilchinbeto and
Kayenta Chapter of the Navajo Nation. With me to answer
questions about Navajo Head Start is Lee Morgan, contract
compliance officer.
On behalf of the Navajo people, I thank you for this
opportunity to present our concerns and recommendations
regarding the proposals before Congress to change the Head
Start program. The Navajo Head Start program is of critical
importance to the health and welfare of the Navajo children.
Head Start enables the Navajo Nation to invest in its most
valuable resource, the children of the Navajo Nation.
The Navajo Reservation is geographically as large as West
Virginia. The unemployment rate on the Navajo Nation currently
ranges from 50 to 60 percent. Our per-capita income is $6,123,
which is less than one-third of its State neighbors, Arizona
and New Mexico.
The Navajo Nation has over 19,000 children. Navajo children
alone represent one-third of all the Native American children
who receive Head Start services throughout the United States.
The Navajo Head Start serves nearly 4,073 children who
otherwise would not receive comprehensive services.
The Navajo Head Start is one of the largest Native American
Head Start programs operating in the United States today. In
fact, they are one of only ten super-grantees within the Head
Start Bureau. Navajo Head Start has 250 centers and offices,
177 classrooms, and 60 home-based programs. The Navajo Head
Start serves a growing population whose birth rate is 21.7 per
1,000, compared to the United States at 14.8 per 1,000.
Since its inception in 1965, Navajo Head Start has taken on
new initiatives to provide comprehensive health, educational,
nutritional, socialization and related culture to promote
school readiness. Navajo Head Start provides medical and dental
screenings and nutritional meals to students. Parenting classes
and counseling services are also offered to Head Start families
on the Navajo Nation with a special component for career
development, to help Navajo parents to provide better lives for
their children.
The Navajo Head Start is nationally distinguished as a Head
Start that offers programs to preserve culture and language
using technology infrastructure. The Navajo Head Start has two
primary concerns related to changes reflecting President Bush's
proposal to Head Start programs.
The first concern regards the delegation of Head Start
authority to States. The second is lack of recognizing language
and culture which is essential to a child's development. The
following is a brief outline of these concerns.
First, the Navajo Nation finds that the delegation of Head
Start authority to the State would be difficult because the
Federal Government has treaty and trust responsibility to
Indian tribes through the United States Constitution, treaties,
case laws, and subsequent legislations. Our program exists in
Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Given the historical relationship between the Navajo Nation
and States, our relationship has not been favorable toward
receiving fair and equitable funding of Federal flow-through
dollars. As a result, tribes do not see the State as a proper
mechanism for these programs and have, instead, insisted on
maintaining the direct government-to-government relationship
with the United States.
Second, the Navajo Nation believes the Navajo language and
culture are an integral part of our children. Language and
culture is a way of life that defines one's self identity and
self esteem. It is the hope of the Navajo Head Start to aid in
the preservation of the Navajo language and culture.
We have two recommendations. First, exempt the American
Indian/Alaskan Native Program Branch from State authority to
ensure that the Navajo Nation and tribes maintain the
government-to-government relationship and direct funding to
tribal communities.
Second, incorporate the Native American Language
Preservation Act. On behalf of the Navajo people, Navajo Head
Start, we proudly present this program to the Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs not only as an educational institution, but
as a quality holistic program uniquely designed to meet the
individual needs of each child, family, expectant mother, and
community. We are committed to empower each child, family,
expectant mother, and community to become proactive and
effective learners, leaders, and caretakers of the future
generation of the great Navajo Nation.
I thank you, Mr. Vice Chairman.
[Prepared statement of Mr. Laughter appears in appendix.]
Senator Inouye. I thank you very much, Mr. Laughter. Your
testimony suggests that your program in the Navajo Nation is a
successful one. Am I correct?
Mr. Laughter. Yes.
Senator Inouye. You have indicated that there are 19,000
eligible children?
Mr. Laughter. Yes, sir.
Senator Inouye. And, of that number, 4,500 are enrolled?
Mr. Laughter. Yes.
Senator Inouye. The remaining 14,500, are they not in the
program because they don't wish to take part or are they denied
access because of lack of funds?
Mr. Laughter. I would like to defer this question to Mr.
Morgan because he is an expert on that.
Senator Inouye. Mr. Morgan.
STATEMENT OF LEE MORGAN, CONTRACT COMPLIANCE OFFICER, NAVAJO
NATION, PHOENIX, AZ
Mr. Morgan. Vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian
Affairs, Mr. Inouye, there are 19,000 children that are
documented that we have on the Navajo Nation. Of that 19,000
children, we are providing services to 7,000; 4,000 of those
services are provided by Head Start; 3,000 are provided by
Child Care Development Fund Program. The remaining children are
either taken in by the FACE program or the majority of those
children are basically left at home.
Senator Inouye. So there are some children left out?
Mr. Morgan. There are a lot of them left out. It is
estimated that 60 percent or more are not even being served.
Senator Inouye. This is because of the lack of funds or the
lack of trained personnel?
Mr. Morgan. There are several factors involved in this.
There is several legislations that have been enacted by
Congress that impact it. One of them is the Workforce Program,
which basically what it is is have the parent go back to work.
So that impacts the Head Start program in a way that we don't
get volunteer service, but it also makes the parents have to
move away from the reservation into larger cities. But those
that do remain, they basically are now dependent on their
extended family to provide that support. Due to the facility
and our funding enrollment, we are not able to serve those
children. So there are several circumstances involved as a
whole that affects those services to children.
Senator Inouye. Is this the same ratio that you find in
your tribes, 60 percent not having access to the Head Start
program?
Ms. Belleau. Ours vary from tribe to tribe. You know, we
have small communities and large communities and then some
communities who are not served at all. So I would say that
would be accurate as an overall percentage for our State.
Senator Inouye. Whatever the cause, some children are being
left behind?
Ms. Belleau. Definitely.
Senator Inouye. Well, I can assure you that this committee
will do its utmost to make certain that no child is left
behind. Notwithstanding what others say about it, we will try
our best to carry that out.
So, with that, I would like to wish all of you a good day.
Thank you very much for your participation. The committee
appreciates it very much. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 12 noon, the committee adjourned subject to
the call of the Chair.]
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A P P E N D I X
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Additional Material Submitted for the Record
=======================================================================
Prepared Statement of Windy M. Hill, Associate Commissioner, Head Start
Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services
Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate this
opportunity to testify before you today on the President's plan to
strengthen Head Start, including those programs serving American Indian
and Alaska Native children and families. Head Start is an important
means of helping to ensure that every child has the opportunity to
enter school ready to learn. Recently, the House took a major step
toward making certain that each Head Start child will have the skills
they need to succeed in school by marking up H.R. 2210, the ``School
Readiness Act of 2002'' to reauthorize and strengthen the Head Start
program. We look forward to action on Head Start reauthorization in the
Senate in the coming days.
I would like to focus my time today on the President's goals for
improving Head Start, both through reauthorization and also through
direct changes in program services. I also want to share some
highlights and insights into Head Start services and operations within
American Indian and Alaska Native programs [AIAN Head Start], that I
know are of special interest to this committee. The President remains
committed to maintaining the current Federal to local relationship with
American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs and working with
these programs to address the unique challenges they face.
As you know, Head Start was launched in 1965 as part of a bold,
``big idea''--that no child should be disadvantaged in their education
because of the circumstances of their families. Our common goal
remains--to prepare our children for success in school and later life.
What you may not know is that I am one of the lucky ones--one for whom
the Head Start program goals and ideals became a vivid reality. I am
here today as a living legacy of the fulfilled promises that Head Start
can and must make for every child and family. I am here not only as the
Associate Commissioner of Head Start, but also as a former Head Start
child and the mother of a Head Start child who is now an accomplished
high school student.
As a child growing up in rural Texas, no one could have imagined
that I would 1 day testify before the U.S. Congress. No one could have
imagined that I would introduce the President of the United States
during his recent public address at a local program. No one knew for
sure, but everyone believed in the power of Head Start to change lives
and influence futures.
None of us should be satisfied until we have achieved the vision
reflected in the bold ideas that have become synonymous with Head
Start, which is that economically disadvantaged children should arrive
at school on a level playing field with their more economically
advantaged peers. Any current shortfalls in achieving this goal should
not label the Head Start program as a failure. We must all see it as a
challenge for the program to do even better.
Recent research shows that although Head Start children make
progress in areas of school readiness during the Head Start year, they
continue to lag behind their more economically advantaged peers. Even
Head Start graduates making significant progress continue to lag too
far behind age norms on a number of important indicators of emerging
literacy and numerary skills.
Consequently, the President and Secretary Thompson sent a clear
message to the Head Start Bureau. Given this compelling evidence, more
has to be done to strengthen the educational outcomes for children. In
response to the President and Secretary Thompson's charge, we must look
for ways to improve the effectiveness of the Head Start program. Much
about the program works, and works well, but we know the program needs
to move ahead--particularly in the areas of educational gains and
coordination.
As part of the President's Good Start, Grow Smart initiative, we
were directed to increase the knowledge and skills of Head Start
teachers in the area of preschool language and literacy and to create
and manage a National Reporting System that will help measure
children's progress in mastering the skills necessary to enter school
ready to learn.
In response, the Head Start Bureau has already undertaken a number
of efforts aimed at bolstering the school-readiness of Head Start
children. The Strategic Teacher Education Program, known as STEP,
launched last summer, was designed to ensure that every Head Start
program and every classroom teacher has a fundamental knowledge of
early development and literacy, and of state-of-the-art early literacy
teaching techniques. More than 3,300 local program teachers and
supervisors, including representatives from ALAN programs, have
received this training and have served as ``trainers'' to the nearly
50,000 Head Start teachers across the country. I am pleased to report
that these trainers and Head Start directors are reporting that this
early literacy training is making a difference in their classrooms.
Following the summer training sessions, the Head Start Bureau
hosted national training conferences on mentor-coaching and social-
emotional development. These events expanded the skills of teachers and
supervisors in fostering effective classroom practices. A national Web-
based resource, called STEP-Net, has been created to help early
literacy specialists access and use resources and tools, and to
exchange information and promising practices.
We see AIAN grantees actively participating in these nationally
convened and sponsored Head Start trainings. Because the President has
made accountability a guiding principle of his Administration, we are
working to make sure that we measure the outcomes of our efforts, not
merely the processes and procedures that make up each of our programs.
To that end, the most important indicator of any program's efficacy
is whether it is, in fact, helping the individuals it is intended to
help by achieving important outcomes. Throughout Head Start's history,
critical outcomes have been reported for child health, child
development, parent education, adult literacy and GED's, and other
aspects of Head Start's hallmark comprehensive service design. However,
in many Head Start programs, the cognitive aspects of school readiness
have not been a priority and cognitive outcomes have not been included
in annual program reports.
Good Start, Grow Smart, therefore, calls for not only the
improvement and strengthening of Head Start through intense, large-
scale efforts in the areas of early language and literacy, but also for
a method to track the results of this effort. As the President often
reminds us, good intentions, although better than bad intentions, are
not good enough. This Administration believes that we must also
challenge ourselves to determine whether or not good intentions are
translating into good outcomes. We must, therefore, do a better job of
determining how well Head Start children across the country are being
prepared for academic success once they enter school.
This fall we are beginning implementation of the national
assessment system of the congressionally mandated school-readiness
indicators for all the 4-year and 5-year old children in Head Start.
Children will complete these assessments upon entering and exiting Head
Start. We have just completed eight national events to train and
certify local staff in the conduct of this national assessment and
reporting system. Across the country, an initial 181 ALAN staff were
certified in the assessment procedures, trained in the data entry and
are now in the process of training and certifying additional local
staff.
The President's Proposal
The Administration's efforts to improve the quality of Head Start
services for all children continue with the President's proposal for
reauthorization of Head Start. The President believes there must be a
stronger focus on the educational program of Head Start and the
measurement and assessment of outcomes which will move the Head Start
program to a higher level of overall school readiness for low-income
children.
The President also believes even more must be done about the lack
of adequate coordination between Head Start and state-administered
programs which undermines the program's ability to provide high quality
preschool services to as many children as possible throughout every
State. Where coordination is not currently occurring, we are finding
gaps and patchy areas in our services to the detriment of young
children and their families. Nationwide, approximately 62,000 funded
Head Start slots go empty each year. Lack of coordination often makes
worse the troubling and avoidable under-enrollment problem in Head
Start.
Therefore, to strengthen the Head Start program, improve services
to low-income children, and promote the coordination and integration of
early care and education services, President Bush is asking Congress to
include in the reauthorization of the Head Start Act a provision that
will allow interested and qualified States to include Head Start in
their overall plans for preschool services. As part of the solution,
under the President's proposal, eligible States would have the
opportunity to coordinate their preschool programs and child care
programs with Head Start in exchange for meeting certain
accountability, maintenance of effort and programmatic requirements.
States wishing to participate must submit a State plan for approval to
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the
Secretary of Education, that addresses several fundamental issues.
Each State must indicate in its plan how it would better coordinate
Head Start with State administered preschool programs. In addition, the
State plan must address how it will work to develop educational goals
for all preschool children in the State and devise an accountability
system to determine whether children are achieving the goals. States
must describe in their plan how they will maintain the comprehensive
range of services for children supported by Head Start funds, including
the provision of social, nutrition, and health services, and guarantee
that they will continue to provide at least as much financial support
for state preschool programs and Head Start as they are currently
providing.
Let me be clear that the President is not proposing to block-grant
Head Start funding to States. Only in those instances where eligible
States apply for integrated preschool services and are approved by the
Secretary of Health and Human Services will States be allowed to manage
Head Start programs. Under the bill passed by the House, Head Start
will continue to be managed as a Federal-to-local program in all but
eight States and for all MAN programs. To be clear on this point, no
State will be required to take advantage of this opportunity nor is
anyone proposing that the Head Start program be turned over to States
with no strings attached.
The President's proposal does not allow States who may qualify for
participation in a State option to do away with the comprehensive
services currently available through Head Start. Indeed, States taking
advantage of this option must make a commitment to maintain the
comprehensive services currently available through Head Start for those
children who, under the State plan, are supported with Head Start
funds.
The President's plan also makes clear that the Federal Government
will not cease or relinquish its oversight responsibilities for the
Head Start program. Under the President's proposal, even States who
choose this option and who have their plans approved will still be
accountable to the Federal government for their use of Head Start funds
and for achieving positive outcomes for children. In cases where a
State does not choose this option or where a State's plan is not
approved, the Federal Government will continue to administer the Head
Start program as a direct Federal-to-local program. I also want to
mention that the President's plan would prohibit States from
supplanting State preschool funds with Head Start dollars.
Finally, our proposal would change the current set-aside for
training and technical assistance to provide the Secretary with greater
discretionary authority to allocate these resources each year in a
manner that will maximize benefits to children and families. Our
proposal would also provide flexibility in targeting funds to quality
improvements. Training and technical assistance resources have gown
considerably in recent years at a rate well above the growth of Head
Start while, at the same time, grantees have had access to quality
improvement funds that provide them additional resources for these
activities. These changes will allow the Secretary to determine the
appropriate level of funds for these activities taking into account all
the other needs of the program and the children and families served. I
would like to turn to AIAN Head Start and share some insights into
services and operations.
AIAN HEAD START
Head Start programs can be found throughout all parts of our
country, from inner city neighborhoods where violence and substance
abuse are a daily part of life to remote Alaskan villages where there
are poor facilities, few jobs and limited access to education and
training opportunities. Head Start programs are embedded in some of the
most economically disadvantaged and geographically isolated areas of
the country, including Indian reservations.
The Head Start program has provided Head Start services to Indian
Tribes since 1965 when the Department funded 43 grantees in 14 States.
Since that time AIAN Head Start has grown many times and we are
currently funding 165 grantees in 26 States to provide Head Start
services to 23,837 children; 2,532 of whom are served in our Early Head
Start program. There are 5,587 staff working in AIAN Head Start
programs, 80 percent of whom are Native Americans; 26 percent of the
families served by AIAN Head Start programs receive public assistance
and 39 percent are single-parent households; 22 percent of AIAN Head
Start parents are without a high school diploma and only 4 percent have
college degrees. Head Start has long been designed as a program that
can bring support and multiple opportunities to families and children.
Head Start programs throughout the country promote school readiness
by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through
the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other
services that enable each child to develop and function at his or her
highest potential. Head Start children receive comprehensive health
services, including immunizations, physical and dental exams and
treatment, and nutritional services. Over 80 percent of children in
AIAN Head Start are immunized. In addition, at least 10 percent of the
enrollment opportunities in each program must be made available to
children with disabilities. Annually, MAN grantees report between 12
and 13 percent of the enrolled children have diagnosed disabilities.
Head Start engages parents in their children's learning and help
them in making progress toward their educational, literacy and
employment goals. The Head Start program also emphasizes significant
involvement of parents in the administration of local Head Start
programs. In fiscal year 2004, there will be increased efforts made to
assure that Head Start programs are achieving their primary purpose of
promoting school readiness--that all children, including all American
Indian and Alaska Native children, leave Head Start with the cognitive,
emotional and social skills they will need to be successful in school.
This is particularly challenging to AIAN Head Start programs since
the number of teachers with degrees is below the rest of the country
[51 percent overall but only 29 percent for MAN Head Start], compounded
by difficulties in recruitment and retention of qualified teaching
staff in both Head Start and Early Head Start. For example, in the last
Program Information Report, AIAN grantees report a turnover of 313
teachers during the year, with 117 of those vacancies left unfilled for
more than 3 months.
Additionally, in terms of local program support for helping
children achieve school readiness, 73 percent of the AIAN grantees
reviewed between 2000 and now, have significant review findings in the
critical areas of curriculum planning, implementation and
individualizing for children's learning.
Under the President's proposal, AIAN Head Start programs will
continue to be funded directly by the Federal Government. Governed by
relevant laws and regulations, each will design a program that works--
one that is sensitive to the culture and history of the families; one
that respects the rich traditions of the tribe and that recognizes the
uniqueness of language and customs. HHS understands that Indian
children and families deserve special attention--that too many Indian
families face the challenges of poverty, unemployment, substance abuse,
and medical conditions such as diabetes, in significantly higher rates
than in non-Indian populations.
We have tried to respond to several unique needs by making
available funding that permits many Indian programs to reach all or a
substantial part of their Head Start eligible families. For example, we
have issued regulations to implement the statutory provision which
expands the ability of MAN grantees to serve children from over-income
families.
Over the past several years we have worked in partnership with the
Indian Health Service agency addressing the many health and safety
concerns of Head Start programs, concerns that are often exacerbated by
environmental factors beyond the control of the local Head Start
program or the community in which the program is located.
In partnership with the Indian Health Service we are currently
finalizing a Report to Congress on the overall status and condition of
facilities occupied by ALAN Head Start programs. Let me share a few of
the overall findings from that report:
The on-site survey assessed 364 AIAN Head Start facilities--58
percent of the total 624 American Indian centers.
A small majority of these centers, 52 percent were identified as
being in ``good'' condition, 40 percent were in moderate condition and
8 percent were cited with major structural or other physical problems.
Over 50 percent of these facilities were built prior to 1984;
nearly one-third were constructed in 1990 or later and 21 percent were
built during the 1980's.
A majority of the 364 centers surveyed, 298 facilities or 82
percent are owned by the AIAN Head Start grantees.
We have invested over $25 million in the last 3 years for
renovations and construction to improve classrooms and playgrounds as
well as work and meeting space for AIAN Head Start programs. In 2003
alone we have invested over $9 million in these facilities, and in 2004
we anticipate funding an additional $4 million in pending requests for
facility renovations and improvements.
We are also investing in new Head Start buses for AIAN Programs at
a rate that is twice the national average; because we recognize that
many of these programs must drive children many miles on roads that are
often unpaved. We share these investments with you not to say that our
job is complete, but to acknowledge our awareness and intent to address
the needs of AIAN Head Start. We recognize that we still have a long
way to go to give our AIAN programs the fall support they will need to
make both a short and long-term difference in children's lives. We are
committed to doing that.
We look forward to working with this committee and with the
Congress to continue to address these and other challenges. Together we
must do all we can to bring to fruition the goals and dreams of our
Nation's first families.
One of the reasons the Head Start program has remained strong over
the course of nearly four decades is that it adapts to accommodate to
the changing needs of children, families, and communities. We cannot
afford to dissipate precious resources through overlapping or poorly
coordinated Federal or local services. Most importantly, we cannot
afford to have children slip through the gaps that patch-work methods
often create, particularly when children with the greatest need for
support continue to remain below national norms of school readiness.
Children and families deserve the best support that we can provide.
Head Start is part of our Nation's commitment to the big idea that
no child should be left behind because of the circumstances of their
families or communities. Hence, while recognizing the important
contribution that Head Start has made over the past 38 years, we can,
should and must do more, for we have not yet fulfilled the full promise
of the boldest ideas that helped to create and sustain the Head Start
program. The Administration is committed to strengthening the Head
Start program and improving the coordination of services to benefit
school readiness of children and the support services for families.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your commitment and dedication to the
well-being of our Nation's children, and thank you, members of the
committee, for your interest in hearing more about our proposal to make
Head Start stronger, and about some of the specific efforts that impact
AIAN programs. I look forward to continuing our dialog as we work
together on the reauthorization of the Head Start program.
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