[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19192]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM

  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to commemorate the 40th 
Anniversary of the Head Start Program.
  In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched an 8-week summer 
program he called Project Head Start. Initially, funding was modest, 
but the charge was significant and admirable. In order to break the 
cycle of poverty, Project Head Start would provide comprehensive 
services to low-income children and their families to help these 
children prepare for school.
  Project Head Start would ensure that low-income children were given 
the same opportunity to succeed in school that every child in America 
deserves. Since then, this project has evolved into a well-established 
national program that serves more than 1 million children across the 
Nation.
  Head Start is a wise investment in our future with lasting, real 
effects. Research has shown that Head Start helps to reduce crime as 
former Head Start students are less likely to engage in criminal 
activity than their siblings who do not participate in the program. In 
addition, students enrolled in Head Start have better self-esteem and 
motivation, and are less likely to be held back a grade than similar 
children not in the program. Most importantly, the recently released 
``Head Start Impact Study'' found that Head Start nearly cut in half 
the achievement gap between low-income Head Start children and more 
affluent, non-Head Start children.
  Today in Colorado, close to 10,000 children attend the 62 Head Start 
and Early Head Start programs. Each of Colorado's programs is unique 
and tailored to meet the needs of the communities they serve. However, 
all Head Start programs, whether located in the rural San Luis Valley 
or downtown Denver, work to incorporate parents into their children's 
educational development. It is this critical component parental 
involvement that distinguishes Head Start from other early education 
and care programs.
  In every region of Colorado, Head Start and Early Head Start programs 
work to provide comprehensives services from dental and medical care 
for students to educational and work training courses for their 
parents. Teachers and administrators create a stimulating educational 
environment. They make certain parents feel a part of their children's 
education by asking them to serve as teacher's aides or as members of 
Head Start policy committees. All of this is accomplished as the 
Federal government continually requires that Head Start improve the 
quality of their services.
  As Head Start embarks on its fifth decade of service to America, I 
wish the program continued success. Because the Senate Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee recently passed bi-partisan 
reauthorization legislation, I expect the Senate to consider this 
important bill in the coming months. I look forward to strengthening 
the Head Start program by passing strong reauthorization language. In 
addition, I hope to work with the Colorado Head Start community in the 
future to find mechanisms to improve our commitment to giving all 
children an opportunity to achieve the American dream.

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