PRESS ROOM

NHSA: GAO REPORT BASED ON FLAWED HHS DATA, PRESENTS INCORRECT PICTURE OF HEAD START GRANTEES

WASHINGTON, D.C.///March 17, 2005/// – An unreleased GAO report is "fatally flawed" by its reliance on distorted data from the Health and Human Services department, which is intent on trashing the Head Start grantees that work each year to get one million of America’s poorest children ready to learn in kindergarten and beyond, according to a statement from Sarah Greene, president and CEO of the National Head Start Association.

In fact, the actual data for 2000 shows that 85 percent of Head Start grantees had no "serious" deficiencies or other problems. An even smaller number of 13 percent were found to have serious fiscal management issues, versus the 76 incorrectly cited in the GAO report on the basis of skewed HHS data.

As Greene notes: "It is hugely misleading to equate 'parking ticket' offenses with a tiny number of actual problem situations … [For 2000] (o)nly 45 percent of Head Start programs were found to have any kind of 'fiscal management' findings. Of this group, only 13 percent had 'serious deficiencies'/'serious findings.' Thus, roughly nine out of 10 programs were found to have no major fiscal management issues of any kind -- a level that is in fact better than the overall number of programs (85 percent) found in 2000 with no major fiscal or non-fiscal problem findings."

Greene's full statement on the unreleased GAO report reads as follows:

"We are disappointed to learn that the limited portion of the unreleased GAO report dealing with financial management by Head Start grantees is fatally flawed by its reliance on twisted data supplied by Health and Human Services (HHS). In an effort to discredit Head Start grantees, HHS has been trying to turn this data inside out since early 2004, which NHSA first revealed in March of that year. (See http://www.saveheadstart.org/031804release.html.) HHS is trying to kill Head Start as it exists today so they fed GAO the worst possible and quite misleading take on the numbers. Unfortunately, the National Head Start Association (NHSA) and Head Start grantees were not consulted in this report process

Based on the slanted HHS data, the GAO makes a whopper of an error in confusing minor fiscal management infractions with "serious deficiencies' or 'serious findings' of problems. In fact, 85 percent of Head Start grantees were disclosed in the '2000 Report to Congress on Head Start Monitoring' to have NO major problems. How did GAO come up with its 76 percent number on financial management problems among grantees? While a number of Head Start grantees were written up in 2000 for minor ‘parking ticket’ offenses in relation to financial and other rules, very few had serious problems and it is misleading to lump an instance of a page missing from a report with a serious problem, such as alleged misuse of funds. In fact, there are very few such instances among Head Start grantees.

It is hugely misleading to equate 'parking ticket' offenses with a tiny number of actual problem situations. Make sure to check out page 13 of the 2000 'Monitoring Report': Only 45 percent of Head Start programs were found to have any kind of ‘fiscal management’ findings. Of this group, only 13 percent had 'serious deficiencies'/'serious findings.' Thus, roughly nine out of 10 programs were found to have no major fiscal management issues of any kind -- a level that is in fact better than the overall number of programs (85 percent) found in 2000 with no major fiscal OR non-fiscal problem findings.

Another key point that is being missed here is as follows: The 2000 HHS report showing only 15 percent of Head Start programs with serious problems got even better in 2001 and 2002 -- 14 percent had serious problems in 2001 and 11 percent in 2002, according to the ‘Monitoring Report’ covering those years.

It is important to look at the entire GAO report. As we understand it, only a small portion of the GAO report focuses on the data about Head Start grantees - most of the report focuses on the failure of HHS to effectively monitor the programs and to use the staff and rules they have effectively and efficiently.

If you take the time to untangle and understand the numbers, you will find that the vast majority of Head Start programs are managed properly and are producing results exactly as Congress intends. The undistorted data puts the lie to those who have been trying in vain to cook up some kind of a case that there are widespread problems at Head Start programs that need to be fixed. You would be hard pressed to find another federal program where roughly nine out of 10 local projects are on track and producing results as intended.

NHSA supports - and always has backed - serious-minded efforts to make sure that every Head Start dollar is expended as intended by Congress. We agree that programs that exhibit a chronic failure to meet the high standards set out for Head Start grantees should be terminated.

However, we will not stand by idly and watch as positive data is twisted inside out by HHS to trash the thousands of hard-working Head Start professionals across this nation who have helped more than 20 million of our most at-risk children get ready to learn in kindergarten and beyond.”

FOR MORE INFOR MATION, CONTACT: Ailis Aaron, (703) 276-3265 or aaaron@hastingsgroup.com.

The National Head Start Association is a private not-for-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families.  It represents more than 900,000 children, 200,000 staff and 2,700 Head Start programs in the United States.  The Association provides support for the entire Head Start community by advocating for policies that strengthen services to Head Start children and their families; by providing extensive training and professional development to Head Start staff; and by developing and disseminating research, information and resources that enrich Head Start program delivery.