September 20, 2006

No Major Action on Head Start Before Election

Everything Is On Hold
Congress is set to adjourn on Friday, October 6, if not sooner. On the calendar are defense appropriations, earmark “reform,” and possibly another vote on the Estate Tax Cut. The Labor HHS appropriations bill, which funds Head Start, is not likely to see any action before Congress leaves town. Even less likely is that the Head Start reauthorization legislation, languishing within the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, will be brought to the floor for a vote. One issue NHSA is monitoring is the very real possibility of a continuing resolution. We want to make sure that funding is adequate and that there are no attempts to make any last minutes cuts to programs like Head Start. We will keep you posted.

Census Bureau Finds High Number of Families Living in Poverty
New data released by the Census Bureau finds that in 2005 the poverty rate remained the same despite a so-called economic recovery. In 2005, approximately 12.7 percent of the population lived at or below the poverty line. Child poverty also remains very high. Almost 13 million children live at or below the poverty line. The percentage of citizens without health coverage increased to more than 15 percent. If you are interested in seeing how your state fared in the report, or for a complete analysis, please go to www.chn.org

Head Start Impact Study Is Online
The Head Start Impact Study is available online at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/impact_study/index.html

Election 2006
The most important activity you can do right now is to get involved in the mid-term election. Here are three things you can do right now until the November Election:

Ask Head Start parents and staff volunteers to attend candidate forums. At each forum ask the candidates a simple question:

Do you support additional funding for Head Start?

Set up a meeting with each of the candidates. A group of parents or volunteer staff can set up a meeting with each of the congressional candidates to educate them about Head Start and ask them to support funding for the program.
Get volunteer parents and staff to talk with parents about the importance of voting and the location of their polling place.

GAO Report on Transportation
The GAO report on Head Start transportation was recently released, and a good summary can be found here (see attached).

Parent Contact Information Requested
We are encouraging all Head Start programs to send NHSA contacts for your Head Start parents. We will add these parents to our new parent database and listserv and make sure they receive information from us about upcoming events and activities geared just for parents. You can participate in this effort two ways. Either change your enrollment forms to allow your program to share parent contact information or simply fill out the attached parent contact sheet.

September Leadership Institute Is Almost Here
If you haven’t registered for the Leadership Institute, you still have time. The institute will take place from Wednesday, September 20, through Friday, September 22. This year’s institute features great speakers including Channell Wilkins, director of the Office of Head Start, Gene Sperling, from the Center for American Progress and a commentator on Bloomberg News and CNN, and Representative Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), the U.S. congressman who authored legislation to provide all Head Start teachers who work towards their B.A. degree with student loan forgiveness.

While this is traditionally a well-attended conference by state association leaders and executive directors, it also draws many parents as well. Kahree Wahid, NHSA’s grassroots coordinator, will conduct two workshops just for parents. In one workshop, he will discuss the important role parent leaders can play in Head Start. During the second workshop he will work with parents on how to be strong advocates for their children.

Finally, we will provide all attendees with a comprehensive legislative and research update; panels on TANF, Medicaid, and state pre-k; and an opportunity to learn about NHSA’s new Alumni Project. To register for this conference please go to http://www.nhsa.org/training/leadership/index.htm

What do your Dollar Per Child contributions support?
Your Dollar Per Child contributions are well spent. Here are a few examples of where your dollars will go in the coming year:

Educating members of Congress about the Head Start community’s legislative priorities. We will hold briefings and conduct intensive visits to educate as many staff and members on the Hill as possible about the issues you care about.
Listening to you! NHSA will set up another round of state association conference calls so that everyone has a chance to have a say in the organization’s strategy and we at NHSA can learn more about the issues of special interest to you and your state.
Telling the public that Head Start works. While we plan to hold several more news events on various issues, our most important focus next year will be letting the public know that Head Start works and is an important investment that deserves public support.
Being a Resource for You. Remember when you called NHSA to learn about the latest on Head Start reauthorization, how to hold a rally, or whether or not your activities might be violating the Hatch Act? NHSA knows that your questions will only increase next year. We are committed to making sure there are resources for you and your program and that all of your questions are answered in a timely and professional manner.
Keeping You Informed. We keep you informed about what is happening on the Hill and provide you with the strategies and timing to take action when it counts! Next year, you can expect more and better legislative updates, Just for Parents newsletters, excellent training opportunities, and new resources on various issues like state pre-k.
Getting Results. When you contribute to Dollar per Child and NHSA, you are contributing to a winner! Our accomplishments include preventing state control of Head Start, hindering the attempted rollback of civil rights protection for employees, maintaining the program in the Department of Health and Human Services, obtaining the transportation waiver, and prohibiting open competition of all programs. You can count on your Dollar per Child contributions to be put to good use. We have one simple goal for next year: to win for the children and families we serve.

If you would like more information about the Dollar per Child campaign or to make a contribution contact Catherine Polanski at cpolanski@nhsa.org or 703-299-7515. She will be happy to discuss ways you can get involved.