[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H6845-H6846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HEAD START REAUTHORIZATION
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, this week we will consider legislation
that is of critical importance to our Nation's future, the
reauthorization of Head Start. This legislation is a top priority for
me and for all of my colleagues in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus,
the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Asian-Pacific
American Caucus. Today, Hispanics are the largest minority group in the
United States. However, the Hispanic community has the lowest level of
educational attainment of any community in the Nation. This educational
attainment, this attainment gap, starts from early childhood where
Hispanics are less likely to participate in preschool programs, opening
an achievement gap even before the first day of kindergarten begins.
The gap expands through elementary school, where Hispanic students are
more likely to be held back; increases in high school where they are
more likely to drop out; and continues to widen in college where they
are less likely to attend a 4-year college and less likely to obtain a
college degree.
The upcoming reauthorization of the premier early childhood education
program, Head Start, presents us with an opportunity to close that gap
for Hispanic and low-income children. This should be a time of hope and
optimism for our community. Sadly, it is just the opposite. The
majority's plans for the Head Start program are a great source of
anxiety for the Hispanic community.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a recent article dated July 14,
2003, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram entitled, ``Hispanics Worry
About Head Start Proposal.''
For over 35 years, the Head Start program has enjoyed great success
in meeting the comprehensive development needs of low-income children.
Head Start programs achieve school readiness for these children through
a holistic approach and intense parental involvement. The range and
intensity of services is assured because of national program standards.
Sending the program to the States would fatally undermine these
national standards, jeopardizing access to the comprehensive services
that make Head Start effective in serving low-income children and their
families.
Yet that is just what the administration proposed and the Republicans
in Congress intend to do. The Republican proposal to block-grant Head
Start will do nothing to strengthen the program for the growing numbers
of limited English proficient, LEP, children in communities across the
Nation. As we have seen with the implementation of the No Child Left
Behind Act, States look to the Federal Government for assistance and
guidance in providing services to these populations. When Federal
assistance is not forthcoming, the children suffer. Instead of looking
for ways to divest themselves of responsibility for Head Start, the
administration and the Congress should put Head Start on a path to full
funding. Currently Head Start only serves 60 percent of the eligible
population in our country. Migrant and seasonal Head Start programs
only reach 19 percent of the eligible children; and, listen to this,
Early Head Start only reaches 3 percent of the eligible children.
As a Nation, we must do better. Every child in America, no matter
their race or the income level of their parents, should have the same
opportunity to obtain a quality education and reach their full
potential. We have the opportunity to do this, reach their full
potential, in the Head Start reauthorization bill. Unfortunately,
however, the legislation we will debate this week falls far short of
that mark.
In closing, I want to say that I hope my colleagues will defeat H.R.
2210 and send the bill back to the committee for more work. We can do
better. And for the sake of needy children all across the country, we
must do better.
[From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 14, 2003]
Hispanics Worry About Head Start Proposal
(By Gustavo Reveles Acosta)
Fort Worth.--The already low number of Hispanic children
served by the federal Head Start program could diminish even
more if the changes proposed by the Bush administration come
through, several Hispanic advocate groups said.
Hispanic advocates are calling President Bush's call to
overhaul Head Start by creating eight state-operated programs
``a blow'' to providing service to low-income Hispanic
children.
``Ours are some of the most vulnerable kids. Head Start
gives them an opportunity to be introduced to English, books
and ongoing health care,'' said Manda Lopez, executive
director of the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start
Association, which advocates for the children of migrant
farmworkers, who are mostly Hispanics.
Lopez, and groups such as the National Council of La Raza
and the National Head Start Association, argue that handing
over the 38-year-old program to the states will reduce
funding for local grantees, diminish the quality of services
and erase most of the tough oversight that is enforced under
the federal program.
The reduced funding will further underserve the Hispanic
population, Hispanic groups contend.
The National Council of La Raza, which will consider the
Head Start issue during its national conference in Austin
next week, believes that Hispanic children in areas with
traditionally strong Hispanic populations are better served.
But it is in communities with emerging populations of
Hispanics that the most help is needed.
``States like California and Texas do much better than
states like South Carolina that are barely seeing their
Latino population grow,'' said Raul Gonzalez, a senior
education analyst with NCLR.
``Given recent statistics, the next generation of kids
participating in Head Start will be largely Latino, and we
need to identify places where we can better serve them.''
According to figures from the National Association of Head
Starts, 33 percent of the nearly 1 million children in Head
Start are Hispanic. The group's figures also show that only
23 percent of the eligible Hispanic population is being
served.
In Tarrant County, 45 percent of the 2,500 children in the
program are Hispanic.
The nonprofit group in charge of Head Start in the county,
Child Care Associates, doesn't have any figures on the number
of eligible Hispanic children in Tarrant County, but it
estimates that about 11,500 eligible children currently go
unserved.
``We are a minority majority community, and issues
affecting the Latino population are definitely going to
affect the children that we serve,'' said John A. Whitcamp,
president of Child Care Associates.
``We are nowhere near the level that we need to be. And
this bill is doing nothing to change that.''
Although Whitcamp said his centers are well-equipped and
staffed to meet the needs of Hispanics, advocates say that
many centers shy away from expanding their service to
Spanish-speaking minorities for three main reasons:
The overall underfunding of the program.
In areas where Hispanic populations have just recently
emerged, providers think it is too expensive to hire the
bilingual instructors and buy the culturally representative
material that may be needed to serve Hispanic children.
[[Page H6846]]
The federal government's lack of enforcement to confirm
that the racial and ethnic makeup of Head Start participation
matches that of the community.
Even though Angelica Jones' 6-year-old son attended Head
Start two years ago and her younger daughter has been
eligible to do so as well, she is patiently waiting for a
spot in the program.
``I think I got lucky the last time because I got in with
no problems,'' said Jones, a stay-at-home mom who visited
several north Fort Worth Head Start centers for availability
earlier this week.
``I know there's a long waiting list and there are several
of us who go to different [centers] to check for any spots
every week.''
NCLR, Gonzalez's group, hasn't officially opposed Bush's
proposed changes. And although he said the bill doesn't
outline a specific plan to increase Hispanic participation
``by even one child,'' he welcomes some of the
recommendations.
``The bill is by no means a perfect bill, but does allow
for better assessment of communities that make sure the
people in most need are the ones being served,'' he said.
Gonzalez said that assessment could increase Hispanic
participation in areas with large or emerging Hispanic
populations like Fort Worth.
Still, Whitcamp said that in the long run, the bill would
hinder services in Fort Worth because the state would use
some of its monies to help other state-funded children
programs like CHIPS, that are struggling for a budget.
Handing over Head Start control to the states would further
diminish funds by creating an additional filter of overhead
costs, said Whitcamp, who oversees 40 centers throughout the
county.
``We have been making the argument about our kids being
underserved for years,'' Lopez said.
``This is not a new issue for us.''
____________________