RESULTS

Action Alert

PLEASE FORWARD!!!! The following action alert will be available from the RESULTS website (www.results.org) and stay tuned for further details.

UPDATE ON HEAD START IN CONGRESS: Representative Mike Castle (R-DE), chairman of the Education Reform Subcommittee, has re-written portions of his Head Start reauthorization bill (H.R.2210). These changes were made due to concerns expressed by members of Congress and many advocates, including RESULTS. His legislation will now allow only eight states allowed to administer Head Start programs. While Rep. Castle claims to have strengthened requirements for states to maintain Head Start's quality and comprehensive services, there are no assurances that programs will have to comply with current federal performance standards or the teacher qualifications contained in Title 1 of his bill. On a broader note, any plan to allow any states to take over Head Start abdicates the responsibility of the federal government to provide for quality early childhood programs for low-income families.

It is important that Congress hears loud and clear that we MUST keep the federal-to-local funding structure and build on the federal standards that maintain Head Start's quality! Congress should also put the program on the path towards full funding. The subcommittee held a hearing on H.R.2210 on Tuesday, June 3, and is planning to mark up the legislation TOMORROW. Now is the time to act! The full House Education and Workforce Committee will take up Head Start as soon as next week and Republican leaders hope to pass Head Start legislation by the end of June. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is not expected to consider legislation until July.

TAKE ACTION - Here are two actions that you can take to stop the dismantling of Head Start: 1. Call the legislative staff people that handle Head Start in Washington, DC for your representatives-even if you have talked to them in the last week! The congressional switchboard number is: (202) 224-3121. See the talking points below for details.

It is especially important that we continue to generate calls to members of the Education Reform Subcommittee. Urge your local media, especially editorial writers, to cover this issue and point out the shortcoming of the current House bill. Specifically, send journalists RESULTS' press release and background information. Contact Marianne Rose to have these materials sent directly to you or a journalist on your behalf. Key points to emphasize in your call to congressional aides:

The legislation cannot guarantee that states will maintain the high performance standards that Head Start has had for the past 38 years. These include a wide range of comprehensive services, including nutritious meals, physical and mental health screenings, and widespread involvement of parents in the program. Head Start recognizes and gears the program to at-risk children to help them literally get a "head start."
Cash-strapped state governments will be tempted to compromise on this array of services.
Head Start programs may not receive the extensive monitoring that occurs in the program today, with week-long on-site evaluations every three years.
The current system of direct federal oversight of local programs is more efficient. We should not add another layer of bureaucracy by including states.
Head Start works. It is one of the most studied federal programs, and studies show it succeeds in preparing disadvantaged children for school. Yes, of course, we should continue to look for ways to improve the quality of the program, but why use kids as guinea pigs in an experiment with state control?

Then:

Ask aides to talk to their boss about your concerns about Head Start.
Urge your representative to oppose any efforts to shift oversight of Head Start to the states.
If your Representative is a member of the Education Reform Subcommittee, urge him or her to support amendments to strip state oversight out of the bill by removing Title 2 in H.R.2210 tomorrow during subcommittee mark-up. A list of subcommittee members is below.
Urge your representative or senator to speak personally and write members of the House Education and Workforce Committee (Chair: Boehner (R-OH) and Ranking Democrat Miller (D-CA)) or Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (Chair: Gregg (R-NH) and Ranking Democrat Kennedy (D-MA)) about these concerns and encourage them to not pass legislation that will dismantle Head Start.
Offer to send (or hand-deliver during the RESULTS International Conference) a sample letter about Head Start for your member of Congress to send to the committee leaders considering/drafting the legislation.
Schedule a time to follow up within the next week and ask what is the best way to communicate with the aide in the future.

The Head Start program has been successful for the last 38 years and approximately 20 million children and their families have participated in this program. WE NEED TO ACT NOW TO STOP EFFORTS TO DISMANTLE HEAD START! For additional information contact the RESULTS office.

Meredith Dodson
RESULTS Grassroots Organizer
440 First Street, NW
Suite 450
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 783-7100 x116
dodson@results.org
http://www.results.org/

Members-- Subcommittee on Education Reform 108th Congress

REPUBLICANS (11)
Mike Castle, Chairman (Delaware)
Tom Osborne, Vice Chairman (Nebraska)
Jim Greenwood (Pennsylvania)
Fred Upton (Michigan)
Vern Ehlers (Michigan)
Jim DeMint (South Carolina)
Judy Biggert (Illinois)
Todd Platts (Pennsylvania)
Ric Keller (Florida)
Joe Wilson (South Carolina)
Marilyn Musgrave (Colorado)

DEMOCRATS (9)
Lynn Woolsey, Ranking Minority Member (California)
Susan Davis (California)
Danny Davis (Illinois)
Ed Case (Hawaii)
Raúl Grijalva (Arizona)
Ron Kind (Wisconsin)
Dennis Kucinich (Ohio)
Chris Van Hollen (Maryland)
Denise Majette (Georgia)