WASHINGTON, DC— In an effort to provide more children with improved access to quality pre-school programs, the U.S. Senate last night passed a bill to reauthorize the highly successful Head Start program for another five years. The Head Start for School Readiness Act, which includes key provisions authored by U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), authorizes increased funding levels for Head Start from $6.9 billion in the current fiscal year to $7.3 billion in FY 2008, $7.5 billion in FY 2009, and $7.9 billion in 2010.

Head Start provides comprehensive early childhood development services to low-income children up to age five and helps prepare them for school. Head Start programs in Rhode Island include free part-time and full-day preschool programs to income-eligible children. In addition to educational instruction, kids enrolled in the program receive healthy meals and snacks, social services, and access to on-site health care. According to the latest Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook, in 2006 over 2,400 children throughout the state benefited from these Head Start programs.

"Head Start is a vital program that helps thousands of children in Rhode Island and across the country develop basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and social skills," said Reed, a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "By providing a safe and healthy learning environment for their children, Head Start helps more working parents keep their full-time jobs and care for their kids."

A landmark study by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation documents how investing in pre-school education programs like Head Start can save taxpayers money in the long run. Initiated in 1962 and lasting over 40 years, the study found that a high quality early childhood program exerts a dramatic impact on the lives of low-income children. The High/Scope study found programs like Head Start improve children's educational success, increase their adult earnings, reduces criminal activity, and returns nearly $13 to taxpayers for every dollar invested in the program.

"Head Start has been a real success story in Rhode Island and throughout the nation. I am pleased to support this program and help make it stronger," said Reed. "Head Start is a wise investment in our young people and a down payment on helping them to secure a brighter future."

Senator Reed authored several key provisions of the bill, including language to increase the income eligibility requirements to allow more children to qualify for the program. Currently, Head Start's income thresholds are lower than most other mean-tested federal programs. Reed's provision lifts the eligibility requirements so that families living below 130 percent of the federal poverty rate (approximately $26,000 for a family of four) can qualify and participate in Head Start. Reed's provision will allow low-income working families and children who may be just above the poverty line to participate in the program.

"The success of the Head Start program in shaping the lives of young people has been demonstrated time and time again. It is important that we serve as many children and families in need of these important services as possible," said Reed. "This new legislation will give more working parents a hand up and get their kids on the right track."

Reed also led efforts to ensure that parents are able to participate more fully in the Head Start program through the Parent Policy Council. This council, made up of Head Start parents, would become a decision-making authority within the governing structure of Head Start.

"Strong parental involvement has been a key tenet of the Head Start program since its inception, and is one of the primary reasons for the program's continuing success. The Parent Policy Council will afford parents an even greater opportunity to participate and help shape their child's early educational development," Reed stated.

Reed also worked to ensure that the Head Start reauthorization bill ensures enhanced coordination and partnerships between grantees and school and public libraries, to help children foster a love of reading, assist in literacy training for Head Start teachers, and support parents and other caregivers in literacy efforts, and ensure wider Head Start community participation on the State Advisory Council.

"The Head Start community is deeply appreciative of Senator Reed's initiative to increase our eligibility guidelines to 130% of poverty, allowing the inclusion of Rhode Island children from very low income working families," stated Rhode Island Head Start Association Director, Lynda Dickinson. "We are extremely proud that Senator Reed has provided the leadership that will ensure the continued participation of low income parents in the governance of Head Start. He has always been, and remains, a true champion of low income children and their families."

The Head Start program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Federal Head Start funds are provided directly to local grantees, and are locally designed and administered by a network of over 1,600 public and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies. The program was created in 1965 and was last reauthorized in 1998. Since its inception, it has helped provide over 15 million young children with the skills to succeed in the classroom and beyond.

Now that the bill has passed the full Senate, it goes to conference with the House of Representatives. Senator Reed has been named a conferee and will help negotiate the bill's final language.