Lynn C. Woolsey: “This Head Start bill is outrageous. It turns a program that is a proven success at improving the lives and futures of…”

“This Head Start bill is outrageous. It turns a program that is a proven success at improving the lives and futures of low-income children into a Federal experiment. And for the first time in this Nation's history, it repeals the law that protects employees against religious discrimination. Head Start does a better job than any other program to narrow the school readiness gap between low-income children and their more advantaged peers. These are our Nation's most disadvantaged children, Mr. Chairman, children who face multiple barriers to learning. One year in Head Start can erase all of these barriers. We have absolute proof that children who have been in Head Start enter kindergarten ahead of their peers from similar backgrounds but without Head Start. These children make substantial gains in specific academics during kindergarten. They end up close to all national academic norms by the end of the kindergarten year. We know that children who complete Head Start are less likely to become delinquent and more likely to graduate from high school. Yet not only does this bill hand Head Start over to the States to do what they would do with it as a block grant, it would also lead to tens of thousands of Head Start children losing their beloved teachers for no other reason than religious prejudice.”