[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22690-22691]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   TRIBUTE TO HELEN HOLLINGSHED TAYLOR, HEAD START BUREAU ASSOCIATE 
                              COMMISSIONER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 11, 2000

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, in the closing days of the Clinton 
Administration, as we reflect on our accomplishments and unfinished 
work, we can only look with great pride and admiration to the Head 
Start program and all it has become for America's children. The 
President and Congressional leaders may try to take credit for the 
increase in the numbers of children enrolled, the new expansion to 
serving pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, and the 
increase in program quality and accountability. But the real champion 
of Head Start was Helen Hollingshed Taylor.
  Helen looked out for the nation's children, and their world is better 
for her efforts. Deborah and I feel fortunate to have known and worked 
with Helen during these past seven years and will miss her fun spirit, 
her gentle nudge, her wisdom, and her passion to do right by all 
children.
  Born in Fort Valley, Georgia, and raised in Cincinnati, Helen came to 
Washington to attend Howard University in 1964. Two years later, she 
received a National Institute of Mental Health fellowship to the 
Institute for Youth and Community Studies at Harvard. In 1973, she 
received a Masters degree in early childhood education from Catholic 
University.
  Helen most recently served as Associate Commissioner of the Head 
Start Bureau in HHS. In this position, she ran a vital program that 
provides educational services to needy children who otherwise start 
school a step behind many of their peers. Today, the Head Start program 
serves 865,000 pre-school children of low-income families with an 
annual budget exceeding $5 billion. Due almost entirely to Helen's 
tireless advocacy, Head Start enrollment expanded by more than 145,000 
during her tenure, which began in 1994 and lasted until her death on 
October 3rd of this year.
  Helen's personal courage and unflagging commitment to the cause of 
helping children was remarkable. During the last several years of her 
life, she waged a fierce battle with cancer, yet continued to work 
nearly every day. One of her most prized projects was the Early Head 
Start Program for infants, toddlers and pregnant women, which under her 
leadership

[[Page 22691]]

expanded from 68 programs in 1995 to 525 programs now serving 39,800 
children. Without her energy and vitality, the Early Head Start program 
would be far less developed today.
  Helen's commitment to quality in Head Start is as much a part of her 
legacy as expansion of the program. As Associate Commissioner, she 
spearheaded an initiative on performance measures; revitalized the 
program's research agenda; established a new monitoring system; and 
revised the training and technical assistance system to strengthen 
ongoing efforts to improve quality.
  Helen also worked hard to create community partnerships by fostering 
linkages between Head Start programs, community colleges and other 
institutions of higher education. She established partnerships between 
Head Start and child care through expansions of full-day, full-year 
services for children of parents in school, training and employment.
  Prior to her appointment as Associate Commissioner, Helen was 
Executive Director of the National Child Day Care Association in 
Washington, D.C., where she oversaw a network of more than 20 school 
centers providing services to more than 1,300 children each year.
  Her career is studded with awards, among them the prestigious 
National Public Service Award, an honor bestowed only on those 
individuals who have made an important difference in public 
administration over a sustained period of time.
  In a tribute last week to Helen's lifetime achievements, HHS 
Secretary Donna Shalala said:

       I shall miss Helen Taylor deeply. Helen believed in the 
     potential of every child to learn. She devoted her life to 
     Head Start and the education and healthy development of young 
     children. Millions of children have benefited from her 
     vision, compassion, and inspiration. She was a remarkable, 
     vital, courageous woman who spent every day giving with all 
     her heart to make the lives of children better. Her 
     immeasurable contributions to early education will endure for 
     years to come.

  Secretary Shalala said it just right. I want to add my words to hers 
and say thank you, Helen. America's children will miss you, too.

                          ____________________