National Head Start Association

Date Posted: 05/18/2010

Statement by Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director, NHSA 

Today, George Miller (D-CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, held a hearing about the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on allegations of unlawful acts by some Head Start programs.  Ms. Carmen Nazario, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families at the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Mr. Gregory Kutz, Managing Director of Forensic Audits and Special Investigations at the GAO, testified on the allegations, the GAO's investigation, and the Department of Health and Human Services' responses to the allegations.  You can find Assistant Secretary Nazario's testimony here and Managing Director Kutz's testimony here.

As the organization representing the Head Start field, all of us at the National Head Start Association (NHSA) are quite concerned about allegations of unlawful acts related to eligibility determinations by some Head Start programs.  We have spoken with program directors throughout the country who expressed dismay over the allegations and who are eager, as we are, to read and understand the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report once it is released.

Our programs serve the country's most vulnerable children and families. Compliance with eligibility regulations lies at the very heart of the Head Start mission.  Determining eligibility can be complex - some children are categorically eligible, such as homeless and foster children.  Others require eligibility determination based on family income. Every program is guided by a set of policies and procedures concerning who is deemed eligible, and Head Start staff are expected to comply with these requirements.

NHSA and our Head Start membership take these allegations very seriously.  If it turns out that some programs are out of compliance, we will do all we can to support whatever measures are put in place to assure compliance.  In addition, at NHSA we are committed to sharing best practices and ensuring that the vast majority of programs that get this right help the ones that must do better.

Not only are we concerned about these allegations, but we are saddened.  At this point, we do not know the details of any of the allegations.  But we do know that even one act of improper enrollment is one act too many.

In the world of Head Start, everyday actions make an enormous difference in the lives of the families we serve - like sitting down in the home with parents who are both out of work to talk about stresses on the children;  or providing dental care to a child who has never seen a dentist;  or providing nutritious meals to children whose parents sometimes have to choose between paying the rent and buying food. 

Ensuring that the most vulnerable children and families are served by Head Start and Early Head Start must be a given.  There is too much at stake.