On the recordJune 12, 2019
I thank distinguished Ranking Member Granger for her strong leadership on the committee and for yielding this time to me. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to call attention to a serious issue of mismanagement between the Community Development Institute, known by its acronym, CDI, and the Office of Head Start. I wholeheartedly support the Head Start program, and I know it has the power to change lives. In fact, my mother is a retired Head Start teacher, and I know the impact on her students was profound. However, I have also seen, firsthand, the damage that can quickly happen to a community when proper oversight is not conducted over local Head Start programs, especially once CDI assumes control. In Cabarrus County, my home county in the Eighth District of North Carolina, we have witnessed CDI continuously demonstrate an inability to ensure the federally mandated guidelines outlined in the Head Start Act are met. While I have been impressed by the new Head Start national Director, Dr. Deborah Bergeron, I adamantly believe Congress needs to exercise more oversight when it comes to Head Start and CDI--not just in my congressional district, but across the Nation. I would like to ask Congresswoman DeLauro to work with me to make sure Head Start and CDI are held accountable and ensure the most vulnerable children in our communities receive the best preschool education possible. Ms. DeLAURO. Will the gentleman yield?
