James M. Jeffords: “the conference report on the Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 includes the Head Start program, the…”

“the conference report on the Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 includes the Head Start program, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Through this reauthorization, these programs can continue to provide vital assistance to the neediest of Americans. The Assets for Independence Act, also included in this bill, is a new way of helping low-income individuals and families to achieve economic self-sufficiency. For three decades, Head Start, CSBG, and LIHEAP have effectively helped many low-income families and individuals throughout America. In this legislation, we have used the lessons learned over the past thirty years to reaffirm what is working well, make improvements where necessary to better meet today's challenges, and eliminate what no longer achieves our goals. This bill leaves present law largely intact, but it does make some important changes to improve program accountability, expand services to meet the changing needs of today's families, and to increase the capacity of these programs to reach each of the program's purposes. The reauthorization of Head Start expands the Early Head Start program for our youngest children, in a manner which balances the desire to make this program available to more children and families and the need to ensure that every Head Start program meets the high standards of quality that we have demanded.”