House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

Education Issues

Head Start

Since 1965, Head Start has provided comprehensive early childhood services to low-income preschool children and their families.  Services provided to preschool-aged children include: child development, educational, health, nutritional, social, and other activities. These services are designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten and to improve the conditions necessary for their success in school and life.

In 2007, Republicans played a key role in enactment of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act, a bipartisan early childhood education reform package designed to close the readiness gap between disadvantaged children and their peers and institute strong protections to ensure program integrity.

The legislation was based in large measure on Republican reforms first proposed in 2005 that strengthened accountability within the program to combat the increasing number of individual financial abuses uncovered by the Committee in recent years.

Press Releases

Kline Highlights New Venue for Americans to Speak Out on Education and Workplace Issues (May 25, 2010)

Kline Statement on GAO’s Undercover Investigation Revealing Fraud and Abuse in Head Start Programs (May 18, 2010)

House Education and Labor Committee Republican Website Receives Gold Mouse Award (April 21, 2010)

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Fact Sheets

H.R. 1429 Conference Report: Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act (November 13, 2007)

Strengthening the Head Start Early Childhood Education Program (March 14, 2007)

Protecting Employment Rights and Religious Character of Faith-Based Service Providers in the Head Start Program (March 14, 2007)

Dear Colleagues

Help More Children Arrive At Kindergarten Ready to Succeed (November 13, 2007)

Vote YES on the Faith-Based Motion to Recommit (May 2, 2007)

Expand Access to Early Childhood Education (May 2, 2007)

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Left Turns

Status of the Stimulus: Fuzzy Math, Wasteful Spending – and Unemployment Still Rising (November 4, 2009)

Floor Statements

McKeon Statement on Improving Head Start Act (H.R. 1429) (May 2, 2007)

Committee Statements

Biggert Statement: Hearing on “Examining GAO's Review of Selected Head Start Grantees” (May 18, 2010)

Castle Statement: Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Subcommittee Hearing on “Improving Early Childhood Development Policies and Practices” (March 19, 2009)

McKeon Statement: Hearing on "The Importance of Early Childhood Development" (March 17, 2009)

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