The Skinny

see also background & facts, pro & con, links

What's Up

Head Start, the federal act that funds education, health and social services for low-income pre-schoolers, is up for a revote and possible revamp. In most re-authorization cycles this famously bi-partisan bill sails through Congress, but it hit rough waters last year when proposed changes got Democrats and early childhood advocates up in arms.

The debate has simmered down somewhat this year, with the House already passing their bill, H.R. 1429, and the Senate's bill, S. 556, similarly looking set for approval - but two issues, on testing and faith-based initiatives, remain.

Rather than follow the president's recommendation to strengthen testing (discussed below), the House voted to remove national testing requirements. They also nixed a provision that would have allowed faith-based Head Start programs to hire based on religious belief. The Senate will probably follow suit.

What the Debate's About

The president says Head Start is needed, but he wants the act to do more to insure its programs build school-readiness skills in reading, writing and math. That spells more testing and accountability measures - a la No Child Left Behind. In 2004, the Administration also wanted to give some states more flexibility to spend their Head Start money and better coordinate the goals of pre-school programs with K-12 schools. Much of that flexibility was cut out of the 2005 version of the bill.

Opponents say that while more accountability is fine, it's not needed; Head Start has already shown that its programs are high quality.

Other points of contention are whether faith-based institutions can hire staff based on religious belief, how much Head Start funding should be raised, and whether Head Start should be continued at all (from those who state that Head Start has no long-term benefits). (Note: in the current House bill, faith-based organizations that provide Head Start services are not allowed to hire based on religion.)

Where Things Stand Now

The House bill was passed in early May. The Senate is expected to vote on its bill in the upcoming weeks.

Updated May 6, 2007

Did we miss something, let some slant slip in, lose a link - or do you just have something to say?
Drop a line below! In the spirit of open dialogue, cJ asks you keep it civil, keep it real and keep it focused on the message, not the messenger. See our policy page for more on what that all means.