The Education and the Workforce committee is considering the bill today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma), spoke against the Republican Head Start block grant plan during mark-up of H.R. 2210, the Republican Head Start bill in the House Education and the Workforce Committee, where she is the Top Democrat of the Education Reform subcommittee.

The following are Rep. Woolsey’s words as written:

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

“I regret that this committee continues to consider a bill that turns Head Start, a hugely successful program, into a new federal experiment.

Mr. Chairman, an editorial in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, one of the newspapers in my district, said it best in an editorial titled “Tinkering with Head Start.’ I quote one sentence, “Some change is fine, but it seems unnecessary to fiddle with success.”

“During the Subcommittee on Education Reform mark-up of H.R. 2210 last week, I offered an amendment to strike the block grant in Title II of the bill, and to increase Head Start collaboration with state early childhood programs. Unfortunately, this amendment was rejected on a party line vote.

“That's too bad, because we don't need to experiment with Head Start. We already know that it is doing a good job at narrowing the school readiness gap between our nation's poorest children and their more comfortable peers like the children and grand children of those sitting here - making these decisions.

“The most recent research data from the year 2000 shows that Head Start kids made significant gains in vocabulary and writing skills relative to the national norms. During their kindergarten year, Head Start graduates continue to make substantial gains in specific academic skills; such as word knowledge; math skills; writing skills and letter recognition. By the time these children leave kindergarten, the benefits of Head Start are even more apparent, and, Head start graduates are close to all national norms after kindergarten.

“This is an amazing record of achievement when you consider where Head Start children started. These are our nation's most disadvantaged children, who have multiple barriers to learning. More than a quarter of the parents of Head Start students do not have a high school diploma or GED. Almost half of these parents earn less than $12,000 a year. Almost a quarter of the children in Head Start come from homes where English is not the primary language.

“The success of these children after a twelve to eighteen month program is a tribute to the effectiveness of Head Start. Am I saying that Head Start is perfect? No, I am not. But turning it over to the states is not the way to improve it.

“During the mark-up today our Ranking Member, Mr. Miller, and I will again be offering the amendment to strike the block grant and I hope that my colleagues from the other side will give it serious consideration.

“Even a limited block grant proposal. Contains many risks for Head Start, and no benefits. Let's use this mark-up to stop experimenting with Head Start and start working together to make it better than ever.

“Mr. Chairman, at the hearings we had on Head Start, all witnesses, yours and ours, said nothing about Block Granting Head Start - they ask that we fully fund the program, reach out to new babies and fund the improvement of educators and pay these educators higher salaries.’