August 3, 2007

Head Start Reauthorization Update

Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA) Hope in Hard Times DVD

A copy of the Hope in Hard Times DVD was delivered to every member of Congress on Monday, and the next day 29 people attended a PHSA-sponsored viewing on Capitol Hill for Pennsylvania congressional staff. In addition to several Pennsylvania congressional staff, there was urban, suburban, and rural parent representation. Sarah Greene, Catherine Polanski, and Ben Allen of the National Head Start Association; Yvette Sanchez, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association; and representatives from the Media Mobilizing Project also attended. Blair moderated the discussion after the viewing giving everyone an opportunity to speak. Congressional staff had positive reactions and agreed to encourage their colleagues to watch the DVD. Blair thanked NHSA for the association’s financial support and help with the linkage to Video Labs for duplication.

Parents spoke about the value of Head Start and the Policy Council elaborating on how Head Start has prepared their children for school, helped parents through hard times, taught parents budgeting and leadership skills, and encouraged male involvement.

One father said, “I have been a better person for my family ... because of Head Start.” A mother noted that because of the comprehensive services, a private school recruited her daughter, and due to the extensive screening process, the Head Start program referred her son to a specialist for an issue her doctor had missed. The parents asked to be judged by their performance rather than their income and reminded us that poverty is a circumstance not a person.

A correctional officer shared the critical need for educational programs that help turn children away from crime. Children and parents have the opportunity to grow in Head Start. Sarah Greene reminded the group that in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on problem programs they indicated that past problems with governance were with the boards not the Policy Councils. She thanked parents for taking the time to be part of this important video and event and for advocating for their children.

The DVD and an educational packet containing background articles and tools to guide discussion are available on the PHSA Web site for only $20 (to help cover the costs). www.paheadstart.org.

Congratulations to the PHSA for an outstanding job supporting Policy Council and shared governance, the top reauthorization issue for NHSA and the Head Start Community.

NHSA staff has been working closely with Hill staff during these weeks of pre-conference discussions.

We collected and sent examples of program enrollment selection criteria.
We called members of Congress asking them to sign the Senate “Dear Colleague:” letter from Senators Wyden and Smith regarding the Policy Council and the House “Dear Colleague:” letter from Representatives Payne, Davis, and Souder.
We called a number of state associations with members of Congress on the committees asking them to contact their members of Congress regarding the Policy Council, competition, and 130% of poverty.

Thank you to the 3,961 individuals who went to www.saveheadstart.org and signed onto the following Policy Council letter between 06/21/07 and 07/30/07.

Dear Member of Congress:

I am writing with regard to Head Start Reauthorization Bills H.R. 1429 and S. 556. I support the Policy Council language in H.R. 1429. This language maintains the current shared governance structure of Head Start except for the hiring and firing of the program director. Unfortunately, S. 556 includes provisions that would diminish the role of the policy council from a decision maker to that of an advisor.

For more than 40 years one of the most unique and important aspects of the Head Start program has been its emphasis on parental involvement. Parents of children enrolled in Head Start programs serve as the majority of representatives on policy councils, which shares important decision-making authority with a board of directors made up of education experts and community members.

Policy council members, especially parents, have a much greater day-to-day knowledge of the program than the board of directors; they are in a unique position to provide accountability and oversight of the program. In fact, a 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that parents often serve as the ‘early warning’ to regional Head Start offices of management problems.

The experience of serving on the policy council has launched shy individuals with no prior governance experience into leadership roles in which they learn an entirely new skill set that benefits not only the Head Start program but also the community at large. Policy Council experience strengthens families, family values, and reinforces the importance of parents as their child’s first teacher.

Again, I ask that you support the language in the House Bill that maintains the current shared governance structure of Head Start, except for the hiring and firing of the program director in the bill that emerges from the House-Senate Conference Committee. The current structure has successfully prepared hundreds of thousands of low-income children to enter kindergarten and empowered thousands of parents to take a greater role in the lives of their children and communities.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

The Following Letter was also sent to the Hill on behalf of the Family Research Council:

July 25, 2007

The Honorable Mark Souder
2231 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Souder:

On behalf of Family Research Council (FRC) and the thousands of American families we represent, we commend you for your support of parents in Head Start. With the Head Start conference committee approaching fast, we urge that the critical role parents play in Head Start is not diminished. Instead when the conference committee meets to negotiate the House and Senate versions of H.R. 1429, we strongly suggest the House language is steadfast in support of the parents.

Presently, Head Start has a shared governance structure in which both professionals and parents have an essential voice. The board of directors is composed largely of early childhood educators and professionals through the community. A different, yet equally important structure is that policy council where at least half of those members must be parents. Both entities determine the directions and operation of Head Start. This structure automatically creates a critical “check and balance” to the program, important voices of professionals are balanced with the important voices of parents who have children in the program.

The Senate passed legislation S. 556 would fundamentally change the authority of the policy council, removing its ability to vote on program policy, instead making it merely an advisory committee to the board. This in effect places the professional wants, over what the parents know the children need in the program. Head Start would lose its responsiveness to the needs of the children as observed and understood by their own parents. This would ultimately send the wrong signal to parents, who especially during the early years of their children’s lives, need to be involved in their child’s development.

Such a sweeping change in Head Start undermines the family structure and the need for checks and balances in the program. The House language is crucial in support of shared governance of both the policy council and board of directors, which would preserve the vital role of parents in the program. The parents’ voice has helped make it possible that hundreds of thousands of low-income children have begun their lives with a head start to success; there is no need to silence their voices now.

Sincerely,

Tom McClusky

Vice President, Governmental Affairs

Thanks to Ron Herndon, NHSA Board Chair, another outstanding letter of support for shared governance from Nike went to Senators Kennedy and Enzi.

Other Legislation
Members of the Senate and House voted this week to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Senate and the House of Representatives must now reconcile their versions of the bill in a House-Senate Conference Committee.

Now is the time to contact your Congressional delegation to ensure that affordable health care coverage is made available to the uninsured children in your state. You can contact members of your Congressional delegation by connecting through the Capitol switchboard at 1-800-828-0498 or e-mail them by using the tools below.

Dollar per Child

Reminder: Our fiscal year ended June 30. We look forward to receiving the $55,600 pledged at our annual conference and additional dollars that you are still raising for the critical legislative work that we do.

Continue to mail your checks to: NHSA Dollar per Child Campaign, P.O Box 890080, Charlotte, NC 28289-0080. Please make sure to note which program, state, or region your donation is representing. Thanks for all of your support.