[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.''

       

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