[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 101 (Thursday, June 21, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8221-S8222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HEAD START REAUTHORIZATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am pleased to speak today about the 
passage of H.R. 1429, the Head Start for School Readiness Act. This 
bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Head Start program, something 
the Congress has not done since 2003.
  In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson launched a summer program for low-
income children and their families, and called it Project Head Start. 
The program's mission was simple: prepare low-income, preschool-aged 
children for success in school. Today, Head Start serves children and 
their families in urban and rural areas across the United States. And, 
since its inception, more than 20 million children and families have 
benefited from the Head Start program.
  Nevada's eight centers range from a Head Start and Early Head Start 
Center in rural Ely, to larger, more urban centers in Reno, to a Tribal 
Head Start center in Gardnerville. Each of these programs is unique 
and, with the input and involvement of parents and families, help meet 
the needs of the communities they serve.
  Head Start currently provides comprehensive early education and 
health services to almost one million low-income preschool children to 
help them prepare for and succeed in school. Unfortunately, this is 
only a fraction of the number of children that could benefit from Head 
Start services. In my own state of Nevada, there are just under 10,000 
3- and 4-year-olds that are eligible for Head Start programs. But, last 
year, only about 27 percent of those eligible were able to participate.
  The bill that we have passed will allow many of these children in 
Nevada and across the Nation to get the early childhood services that 
they need, by expanding access and eligibility for low-income children 
and families.
  The legislation also makes a number of other important changes to the 
Head Start program. It focuses on developing the skills that children 
will need to enter school ready to learn by aligning Head Start 
standards and services with state child care and preschool programs and 
local public schools, and requiring new research-based standards and 
assessments.
  And, to ensure that Head Start programs are effective, the bill 
requires greater accountability through improved monitoring and 
recompetition for poor performing Head Start centers. Finally, this 
bill strengthens the Head Start workforce by setting new education and 
training goals for Head Start teachers and curriculum specialists.

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  With proven and lasting results, Head Start is a wise investment in 
our future. I applaud the good work of the HELP Committee, and thank 
Senators Kennedy, Enzi, Dodd, and Alexander for their efforts on behalf 
of low-income children across the Nation.

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