Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the Head Start program but in opposition to the Republican Head Start bill. In 2002, the Head Start program served nearly 1 million children, over 62,000 infants and toddlers in early Head Start. Unfortunately, however, only 60 percent of the qualified 3- and 4-year-olds are currently enrolled in Head Start, and early Head Start is only funded to serve 3 percent of the eligible infants. We need to make a commitment to fully fund the Head Start program, and this is because money spent on Head Start is money well spent. For every dollar we spend on Head Start, $4 to $7 are saved in future expenses because children who participate in Head Start need fewer services in elementary and high school, and they are less likely to go to prison or end up on welfare. During the Clinton administration, Head Start funding grew from $2.8 billion in 1993 to $6.2 billion in 2001. Over the past 2 years, the President's administration has proposed only a total increase of $300 million, about $150 million per year.”