PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS HEAD START INTO LAW
Washington
| December 12, 2007 -
Delaware Congressman Mike Castle, Senior Republican of the House
Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education,
joined President Bush, along with other Members of Congress today, in a
ceremony to sign the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act into law.
The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act aims to
improve and reauthorize the Head Start program, a program within the
Department of Health and Human Services which provides low-income
children access to educational, health, nutritional, social, and other
services. Rep. Castle, an author of the legislation, welcomed passage
of this legislation which he, along with Members of the House Education
and Labor Committee, as well as Members of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, have worked to reauthorize
over the last several Congresses.
"Head Start is a program which lives up to its name," said Rep. Castle. "With the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act,
we are building upon the already successful Head Start program by
increasing the focus on academic development, reinforcing program
integrity, and improving the coordination between Head Start and state
and local early childhood programs.
"I am pleased with the passage of this legislation, which bolsters Head
Start and allows it to better serve over 900,000 children, parents, and
neighborhoods around the nation."
Rep. Castle recently witnessed the success of the program first-hand
through visits to Head Start Centers throughout Delaware, including the
Bear Head Start Center, the Colonial Gardens Head Start Center in
Dover, and the Stockley Center's Head Start and Early Head Start
programs in Georgetown.
Specifically, the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act will:
Strengthen Head Start's Academic Components by:
• Emphasizing "what works" in preparing disadvantaged children for school;
• Improving Head Start teacher quality;
• Strengthening academic quality standards;
• Ensuring that early childhood education programs are based on scientifically-valid research; and
• Requiring no new testing.
Improving Fiscal and Program Management by:
• Creating more competition in the Head Start system;
• Seeking better safeguards against financial abuse;
• Limiting excessive salaries and perks, as proposed by Republicans
during a motion to instruct negotiators on the final legislation; and
• Improving program disclosure and transparency.
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