Political Quotes

“My amendment simply removes $1 million from the Administration for Children and Families programs account, but it replaces it back in the very same account. My intent in doing this is to highlight an issue for my colleagues and for the Department of Health and Human Services. Before I go into detail on this, I want everyone to know that I was one of the early participants in the Head Start program as an assistant teacher. I was there when Head Start was first developed under the Federal poverty program. I love Head Start. I understand it very thoroughly, and I wish that every child that needed the advantages of this program could have it and benefit from it. In California alone, the Head Start program serves over 100,000 children. Nationwide, more than 1 million children and families across the country rely on its essential services. However, children and families can't receive the care and valuable benefits of Head Start if we aren't strategic in determining the organizations and communities that receive aid. When Federal auditors determine whether a Head Start program must recompete for funding, they compare the metrics of a program against national averages. However, a successful program operating within an urban community must be defined differently than one operating in the suburbs or a rural community. Comparing providers to national averages disadvantages those with fewer resources and more obstacles to success.…”