[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 22, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9736-S9737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN:
  S. 1444. A bill to amend the Head Start Act to increase the 
reservation of funds for programs for low-income families with very 
young children, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, most Americans are very familiar with Head 
Start. This popular preschool program was created in 1965 to provide 
education, health, nutrition and family support services to low-income, 
4- and 5-year old children. Head Start enjoys strong bipartisan support 
and is widely recognized as a success.
  In response to the growing body of research about the critical 
development which occurs during the first 3 years of a child's life, 
Head Start was expanded in 1995 to serve infants and toddlers. The 
Early Head Start Program provides comprehensive child development and 
family support services to infants and toddlers from birth through age 
3 and pregnant women. Currently, 10 percent of Head Start funds are set 
aside for Early Head Start. An estimated 60,000 children currently 
receive services nationwide. In Iowa, 1,259 children are served by 
Early Head Start.
  Numerous research findings, including a 7-year national evaluation, 
show that Early Head Start is a success. Early Head Start made positive 
impacts in children's cognitive, language, and social-emotional 
development. It was also found that compared to a control group, 
parents in Early Head Start not only read to their children more often 
but also provided additional resources to support greater language and 
literacy development.
  These types of outcomes for our Nation's most vulnerable infants and 
toddlers are tremendous considering how critical the early years are 
for children's development. Data from the National Academy of Sciences 
shows that the first 3 years of a child's life are the most important--
80 percent of brain development occurs by age 3. Children have 
unlimited potential to learn many things during this critical time. 
Research conducted over the last several years shows how important it 
is for parents to read to their young children, talk with them, and 
stimulate learning through play. Children who do not have enriched 
learning experiences during these important years can be stunted for 
life. Babies and toddlers living in high-risk environments need 
additional supports to foster necessary intellectual, social, and 
emotional development that lays the foundation for later success in 
school and life.
  Early Head Start provides this proven effective, targeted care, yet 
only 3 percent of those eligible are being served. As a result, today I 
am introducing legislation that would increase the current set-aside to 
20 percent in 2008--to double the number of participants.
  Investments in early intervention programs must become a national 
priority. This is the right thing to do for the young children of our 
Nation, but it is also the most cost-effective thing for us to do. 
Every dollar invested in quality pre-school programs saves $7 in future 
costs for special education, welfare or corrections.
  In 1991, the Committee for Economic Development, CED, called on the 
Nation to rethink how we view education. This group of business leaders 
urged Federal policy makers to view education as a process that begins 
at birth, with preparations beginning before birth. I strongly support 
this objective and have always been a strong advocate in early 
intervention activities such as Head Start, the WIC nutrition program 
and early intervention programs for infants and toddlers with 
disabilities.

  We must dedicate ourselves to making the CED vision a reality and 
build a strong foundation for education in this country. That begins 
with ensuring that all children get off to a good, strong start and 
enter school ready to learn.
  The legislation I am introducing today takes another step toward 
building this foundation by doubling the set-aside for the Early Head 
Start Program for children ages zero to three by the year 2008. This 
action will continue to improve access to education and development 
services for our youngest children to provide a good start in life. I 
urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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