[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SCHOOL READINESS ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2210) to 
     authorize the Head Start Act to improve the school readiness 
     of disadvantaged children, and for other purposes:

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Chairman, I rise tonight in opposition to H.R. 2210, 
the School Readiness Act of 2003. Head Start has provided a strong 
foundation for millions of children over the past 38 years. The program 
was created in 1965 to help young children become more academically 
prepared for school and to encourage healthy families. Head Start, 
which currently assists over 900,000 children, is the only major 
federal effort to provide comprehensive social and educational 
services. Head Start targets the nation's poorest children, those 
living in families at or below the federal poverty level as well as 
children with disabilities and special needs. It emphasizes not only 
children's cognitive development but also their social, emotional, and 
physical development and encourages strong parent involvement.
  H.R. 2210 reauthorizes the Head Start program through Fiscal Year 
2008. While the measure seeks to improve the school readiness by 
increasing the focus on academic performance, the bill's authorization 
provides only 2.9 percent more than the FY03 appropriation, just barely 
enough to cover inflation. I have other serious concerns with this 
reauthorization legislation. In particular, H.R. 2210 changes current 
law to permit religious organizations who run Head Start programs to 
discriminate in hiring employees based on religious affiliation. The 
bill also establishes a demonstration program that permits eight states 
to integrate their own preschool programs with the federal Head Start 
programs. This is the first step in a concerted effort by the Majority 
to block grant Head Start and take oversight away from the federal 
government. I believe block granting will weaken performance standards 
and ultimately could lead to a dismantling of the entire program.
  As a strong supporter of Head Start, I believe we should be focusing 
on ways to build upon the success of the program by strengthening 
school readiness, improving program quality and accountability, and 
expanding access to more eligible children. For that reason, I support 
the substitute offered by Representative Miller. The substitute 
strengthens Head Start's focus on preliteracy, language and pre-math 
skills while improving teacher quality by requiring 50 percent of Head 
Start teachers to have bachelor's degrees by 2008 and prohibiting new 
hires without associate's degrees after 2005. The Miller proposal 
creates salary and scholarship funds to ensure Head Start teachers are 
able to remain with Head Start for several years. Most importantly, it 
expands access to all pre-school students, expands access to Early Head 
Start and increases the flexibility of Head Start programs to meet 
community local needs.
  During a time where there is a lot of talk about ``Leaving No Child 
Behind'', let's truly stand up for the children who need our help the 
most. The research is clear--children who participate in Head Start 
arrive at school better prepared than low-income children who do not 
participate in the program. This high quality program must be 
preserved--it works and it works well. It is illogical to cut funding 
or weaken this proven program. I urge my colleagues to vote against 
H.R. 2210 and for the Miller substitute to ensure that vital, 
comprehensive services remain available to all Head Start participants.

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