[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 52 (Monday, April 13, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E449-E450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING DR. EDWARD ZIGLER ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HEAD START

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 13, 2015

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and admiration that 
I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Edward Zigler, the father of Head 
Start, as we mark the 50th Anniversary of this inspired early learning 
program. President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, ``We must open the 
doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through 
those doors.'' That is what exactly what the Head Start program has 
done for millions of children across our nation for the last five 
decades.
  In his 1964 State of the Union Address, President Johnson declared a 
War on Poverty. Central to this effort was the idea that access to a 
comprehensive child development program which ensured school readiness 
could make all the difference for disadvantaged families. As policy 
makers, we often look to those with field expertise for advise and 
counsel. There are few that have served in these halls in the last 
fifty years who will not recognize the name Dr. Edward Zigler. A member 
of the National Planning and Steering Committee for Project Head Start, 
Ed was appointed the founding Director of the Office of Child 
Development, now the Administration on Children and Families, to lead 
the Head Start program and he has served as a consultant to every 
Administration since the program's inception. Designed to break the 
cycle of poverty and based on the fundamental idea that education is 
critical to success, Head Start began as an eight-week demonstration 
project and has grown exponentially. Today, Head Start serves over one 
million children in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto 
Rico, and the U.S. territories.
  Re-authorized and expanded under each Administration over the last 
fifty years, there is no doubt that Head Start has had an impact on the 
lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens. Today, as we celebrate 
the 50th Anniversary of Head Start, we also pay tribute to the man 
whose invaluable contributions, not only in its inception but 
throughout its implementation, have been the driving force behind Head 
Start's success. Ed Zigler, with his extraordinary vision and 
unwavering tenacity, has changed our understanding of the connections 
between poverty and education, shaped our public policy, and changed 
the course of millions of lives.
  It has been my great privilege to have the opportunity to work 
closely with Ed on issues both here in Washington and in Connecticut. I 
find myself in constant awe of his intellect and commitment and 
consider myself fortunate to call him my friend. Today, on behalf of 
the millions of families that have been changed for the better by Head 
Start, I am honored to join the National Head Start Association in 
extending my deepest thanks and sincere gratitude to Dr. Edward Zigler. 
He has left an indelible mark on our nation and his is a legacy that 
will continue to improve the quality of life of those most in need for 
generations to come.

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