[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 51 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                               HEAD START

                                 ______


                               speech of

                            HON. TIM ROEMER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 1994

  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the 
reauthorization of the Head Start Program, the Community Services Block 
Grant, and the Low Energy Assistance Act.
  Head Start Program, which grew out of the War on Poverty, has been 
recognized as one of the most successful intervention programs for 
economically disadvantaged preschool children. Almost 30 years ago, 
when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this legislation into law, he 
proclaimed that the educational, health and social services to be 
provided to half a million poor children that summer would ``make 
certain that poverty's children would not be forevermore poverty's 
captives.''
  Over the years, numerous studies have confirmed that the results of 
this program have been dramatic. In its 1985 study on preschool 
education, the Committee on Economic Development reported, ``It would 
be hard to imagine that society could find a higher yield for a dollar 
investment than that found in preschool programs for at-risk 
children.''
  However, the program has not been free of criticism. Serious 
questions have been raised about the quality of the program. In order 
to address those issues, last year, the Health and Human Services 
Secretary, Donna Shalala, created a bipartisan Advisory Committee on 
Head Start Quality and Expansion. The Committee conducted its review of 
the current program and issued its recommendations for improvement and 
expansion. I am pleased that the Advisory Committee's recommendations 
build on the success of the program and continue the setaside for 
quality improvements such as raising staff salaries and providing 
training. The new amendments also require the Secretary to establish 
quality standards in order to monitor the program.
  Last year, the inspector general at the Department of Health and 
Human Services issued a report that found that Head Start grantees' 
files and records frequently were incomplete, inconsistent, and 
difficult to review. In order to address this problem, I have 
incorporated an amendment into the act that would require the Secretary 
to establish standards that address recordkeeping and file maintenance 
practices. In addition, I have incorporated amendments that are 
designed to promote the health of our Nation's children.
  I believe that the new legislation responds to the recent Carnegie 
report entitled, ``Meeting the Needs of our Youngest Children'' which 
recommends a comprehensive approach to combating child poverty. Last 
year, the General Accounting Office issued a report which shows that 
the number of poor children under age 6 has grown by more than 25 
percent during the 1980's. The extension of the Head Start Program to 
provide services to infants and toddlers from birth to age 3 is 
designed to help families and their children at the earliest ages. 
These formative years are critical for the intellectual, physical, 
social, and emotional development of children.
  I also believe that we must pay particular attention to the growing 
trend of more women entering the work force. As we look to the 
President's goal of reforming our current welfare system, we must try 
to respond to the needs of low-income mothers by providing full-
working-day, full-year care. Head Start's part-day, part-year services 
do not meet the needs of mothers or families who are working or 
enrolled in education or training programs. Additionally, if we are 
going to successfully reform our current welfare system, responding to 
the growing trends of more working families and more single mothers is 
critical.
  Finally, I want to say that I was pleased to work with Chairman 
Martinez and Representative Gunderson on a bipartisan basis to include 
the reauthorization of the National Youth Sports Program [NYSP] in this 
bill. For more than a quarter of a century, NYSP has served youth aged 
10 to 16 who are growing up in economically disadvantaged environments. 
This program provides sports instruction and a host of other 
enrichments, such as a daily USDA-approved meal, education and career 
counseling, math and science instruction, and medical examinations for 
our underprivileged youth.
  Both the Head Start Act and the National Youth Sports Program 
reaffirm our commitment to invest in our children. I urge my colleagues 
to support H.R. 4250.

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