NHSA Scores Some Big Victories! (August 14, 2006)

Five Major Victories: Count Them Five!

In the past month alone, NHSA was part of five very successful efforts:

NHSA put together a coalition to defeat the undemocratic Sunset Commission proposals that would have allowed the Bush administration and allies in Congress to gut Head Start. In doing so, we developed new partnerships and successfully made a name for ourselves in an entirely new arena.
NHSA Is a founding member of the Children’s Health Care Campaign. NHSA worked closely with Families USA to develop a coalition highlighting the need for expanded access to high quality health care for all children. NHSA’s deputy director, Michael McGrady, spoke at a news conference at the National Press Club to kick off the campaign. So far, several thousand people have signed the children’s health care petition. Please be part of this effort. To sign the petition, go to http://ga3.org/campaign/petition_main?qp_source=nhsa
We, along with our allies, led the fight to ensure that low-income children (and not Paris Hilton) were America’s priorities. NHSA joined the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities to stop Congress from eliminating the Estate Tax. Why was that important? Not just because we think that Wal-Mart Heirs and Paris Hilton should not get another tax break, but because it would have taken $750 billion directly from treasury funds – funds needed to pay for services for low-income children and families (including Head Start).
We worked with the Administration for Children and Families to get programs relief from the transportation regulations. NHSA has consistently heard from Head Start programs that they cannot meet the very burdensome transportation regulations. Many programs have had to eliminate transportation services, and others simply cannot afford to do what the regulations require. NHSA took this message to Congress and the administration. As a result, the administration is now in the process of issuing regulations that will make it easier for programs to obtain waivers if they are unable to meet the transportation regulations.
We ensured that Head Start received funding. We are not happy with Head Start funding from both Senate and House Appropriations Committees — $2.8 million increase — essentially flat funding, and we will continue to fight. However, with the Bush administration and conservative members of Congress doing whatever they could to go after funding for programs targeted for low-income families, it is still a small but important victory for us.

Take Advantage of Congressional Recess
Congress will not be back in session until after Labor Day. This offers you a great opportunity to invite your member of Congress to visit your program or to set up a face-to-face meeting. If you need help setting up a meeting, call Joel Ryan at 425-739-7349. He will be happy to help you.

Appropriations and Reauthorization
It looks like appropriations for Head Start and reauthorization legislation won’t be completed before the November mid-term elections. This means that continuing resolutions for Head Start and flat funding are likely at least until after November.

With the Senate Head Start reauthorization bill stalled in the Senate HELP committee because of the Bush administration’s attempts to roll back civil rights protections for employees, we are looking at starting the Head Start reauthorization process all over again in January. Yes, this means that the House bill that passed last year is wiped clean, and we will start fresh once again.

September Legislative Action
When Congress reconvenes in September, they have three major priority areas according to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). They are: legislation to give the president a line-item veto, Defense Appropriations, and a competitiveness bill (of which one component includes an emphasis on math and science instruction in the public schools). Issues of concern to Head Start are unlikely to be on the agenda.

$1 Parent Membership Forms Available
During the months of August and September, parents will be enrolling their children in Head Start. This represents a perfect opportunity to let them know about the benefits NHSA can offer. Whether it is getting the most up to date legislative information, information on best practices, or letting parents know about scholarships and awards, NHSA is the #1 place to find information and resources to support parents. Best of all, these benefits cost just $1. To print out the $1 parent membership form for your parents in English or Spanish, please go to http://www.nhsa.org/join/parent_membership.htm

2007 Policy Agenda Survey
So far, NHSA has received about 200 policy agenda surveys. If you have not had a chance to complete the survey, please do so as soon as possible. We want to make sure that everyone has a chance to make suggestions and have a say in the process. If you need another copy, e-mail Angela Smith at asmith@nhsa.org.

Louisiana Voter Project Going Very Well
NHSA received a grant to register and mobilize Head Start parents to vote in Louisiana. We work closely with the Louisiana Head Start Association and our partner Every Child Matters. Kahree Wahid, our grassroots coordinator who is managing this project, is doing a fabulous job!

And now NHSA is about to do something unprecedented: we are going to have an NHSA representative either Kahree, an Every Child Matters representative, or parent volunteers at every single parent orientation across the entire state. At each event, parents will hear about the project and receive a goodie-bag that includes crayons and sidewalk chalk for children. A special thanks to Discount School Supplies for helping us out and quickly getting products out to programs. If you are interested in learning more about this campaign or getting involved, visit http://www.everychildmatters.org/LA/

Set Up Voter Education Steering Committees
At this point, it is critically important that every state Head Start association set up a voter education steering committee. Some states, like Missouri, are already moving ahead with parent volunteers. NHSA recently met with several states to get their voter education campaigns off the ground. If you need help, contact Joel Ryan at 425-739-7349 or e-mail jryan@nhsa.org.

Leadership Institute Fast Approaching
The Leadership Institute is set to take place between Wednesday, September 27, and Friday, September 29. It is especially important for members of the Head Start community to attend the Leadership Institute because we will finalize the 2007 Policy Agenda at this meeting. The conference is guaranteed to be one of the best ever! Already confirmed to speak are the following people:

Channell Wilkins, director, Office of Head Start
Ted Waters, attorney
Debbie Weinstein, executive director, Coalition on Human Needs

For more information about the Leadership Institute or to register, go to http://www.nhsa.org/training/leadership/index.htm

Remember, this conference is for everyone including parents and staff! In fact, this year we have a special grassroots advocacy training exclusively for staff and parents!

August 28 Webinar with Channell Wilkins
On August 28, we will host a webinar on the monitoring process with Director Channell Wilkins and Ann Linehan from the Office of Head Start. The webinar will take place between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Everyone is invited to join the call, but we encourage state association presidents and executive directors to survey their respective states to see where there are issues or concerns. We hope that this will help to focus the call and allow each state an opportunity to present their information in a clear manner. To register for the webinar, go to http://www.nhsa.org/training/webinar/web3.htm

Katrina Funds Still Available
The Office of Head Start would like to let programs know that funding to serve Katrina families is still available for eligible programs. If you have a grant that is outstanding, have not received an answer, been rejected for funding, or would like funding to serve Katrina families in this upcoming program year, please let Joel Ryan at NHSA know immediately. E-mail him at jryan@nhsa.org. Joel will put together a list and send it to the Office of Head Start no later than Thursday, August 17. Do not delay!

This Legislative Update Doesn’t Get Written By Itself
All the work that NHSA does on your behalf is paid for by the Dollar Per Child Campaign. Your contributions to the campaign pay for the press events we put together, the www.saveheadstart.org Web site, and also the staff who work tirelessly for you on Capitol Hill and across the nation. While many people believe that Dollar Per Child goes for direct lobbying, the fact is that the majority of the dollars raised actually goes toward educational purposes such as training and resources for the Head Start community. Contributing to the campaign and our children’s future is very simple: make your tax-deductible checks payable to NHSA — Dollar per Child Campaign and send them to:

National Head Start Association

PO Box 890080

Charlotte, NC 28289